The New Moti Bagh Palace residence of PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh on the eve of the result of the Assembly elections in Patiala on Friday. Tribune photo: Rajesh Sachar

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, March 10

A guarded silence prevails outside PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh’s New Moti Bagh Palace here.A handful of supporters are waiting to greet Preneet Kaur. A day before counting, the palace is back in focus with Congress leaders hoping to bounce back after being in the political wilderness for a decade.March 11 is also Amarinder’s birthday and every Congress worker and leader hopes that it will bring good tidings as the ageing scion of the Patiala royals has declared that “this would be his last political battle”.With the PPCC chief deciding to watch the result at his Chandigarh residence, it is left to Preneet and other relatives to camp in Patiala. The family is expected to be together tomorrow evening to seek the blessings of Rajmata Mohinder Kaur, Amarinder’s mother.With everyone at the palace keeping their fingers crossed, no arrangements for a celebration are being made as of now. No tents have been pitted nor bouquets ordered if the Congress wins, as is being predicted in the exit polls.“Capt Amarinder Singh turning 75 is a big occasion for the family and we are sure of forming the government. A victory looks most likely. The family will be together and there would be double celebrations at our residence in the evening,” says an upbeat Preneet.Till then, a handful of Congress workers are keeping guard as laddoos and sweets are on hold. “This time, there would be celebrations only after the results are out officially. Though we have arranged for sweets and crackers in advance, no one will accept it on record,” says a veteran Congress leader.Capt’s son Raninder Singh says that the party cadre in Punjab has worked hard and they are all sensing a victory.“Though I am more of a sportsman, I am pretty hopeful that the Congress will pull through to form the government,” he added.Meanwhile, the mood in the royal city is upbeat with a majority of the people predicting a Congress win.“We are eager to celebrate the victory of Congress on Saturday and crackers, sweets, and dhol beats would be heard everywhere,” said party leader KK Sharma.

Spends time with familyChandigarh: A day before the results, state Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh spent the day with his family members and friends at his Sector 10 residence here today. Capt Amarinder played hosted a family get-together for his newly wedded grandson Nirvan Singh and his wife Mriganka Singh, granddaughter of senior Congress leader Karan Singh. “It was a family affair with a few Congress leaders seen around. Nirvan was actively involved in campaigning with Capt Amarinder,” said party sources. He will remain stationed at his residence here tomorrow. Unlike the “grand” arrangements made on the day of the 2012 Assembly poll results, the party leaders are treading cautiously this time. With some of the exit polls indicating a close finish between Congress and AAP, the Congress leadership is keeping its fingers crossed. Similarly, there was hardly any activity at the party headquarters in Sector 15 here. TNS