A total of six “winners” of the State Assembly polls held in 2012, out of seven, contesting this lok Sabha election lost the race for the Parliamentary seats.
Only the former Chief Minister and Congress candidate from Amritsar Capt Amarinder Singh emerged victorious among the legislators who entered the Parliamentary poll fray. In fact, many of them were not ‘number one’ even in their own constituencies.
The political parties, in an apparent attempt to improve their poll prospects in the Parliamentary elections, had decided to field the known and winning candidates of the Assembly polls.
In all, Congress had fielded maximum of four candidates, out of which only one could won. The electorate has given their referendum against the leaders they elected as their representatives just about two years ago.
Except Patiala MlA Capt Amarinder, leader of Opposition and Abohar MlA Sunil Kumar Jakhar was made to bite dust by sitting Akali MP Sher Singh Ghubaya in Ferozepur constituency, of which Abohar is a part.
Notably, Jakhar, also the Congress legislative party leader was the only candidate who got a lead from his own constituency but that too with a meagre 5,662 votes.
Party’s MlAs — Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and Joginder Singh Panjgrain — too faced defeats in their own areas. Party’s MlA from Nabha, Dharamsot lost to Aam Aadmi Party’s Harinder Singh Khalsa by a margin of 54,144 votes.
Panjgrain, party’s MlA from Jaitu Assembly segment, finished third in Faridkot constituency with AAP’s Prof Sadhu Singh sweeping the polls defeating sitting Akali MP Paramjit Kaur Gulshan. As Prof Sadhu Singh bagged 4.50 lakh votes, Gulshan finished second with 2.78 lakh votes, while Panjgrain remained on third spot with 2.51 lakh votes. As Panjgrain tasted defeat with the biggest margin, he lost badly from his own constituency Jaitu with a margin of just 25,000 votes.
Out of Akalis’ two MlAs it has fielded, both failed to secure a win. Moreover, they were lagging in their own constituencies. Akali MlA from Adampur constituency Pawan Kumar Tinu lost by over 70,000 votes in the hands of Congress’ Santokh Singh Chaudhary. He also finished second in his own constituency by a margin of 5,000 votes.
Dakha MlA Manpreet Singh Ayali, who had won with over 20,000 votes in 2012 Assembly elections, had finished third in ludhiana constituency. As Congress’ Ravneet Singh Bittu emerged winner, Ayali was lagging by a margin of 5782 votes to AAP’s HS Phoolka.
Notably, the Akalis, particularly Ayali, had all along been claiming that Dakha, Jagraon and Gill Assembly segments were their strong areas. Another MlA, contesting from ludhiana seat was Akali rebel and independent legislator from Atam Nagar, Simarjit Singh Bains. Finishing fourth in lok Sabha polls with nearly 2.11 lakh votes, Bains secured maximum votes from his own constituency — 43,093, followed by 42,734 in ludhiana South, constituency of his MlA brother Balwinder Singh Bains.
It was apprehended that the political parties’ decision to field its legislators may eventually end up in by-elections on almost six seats in Punjab. Already, Talwandi Sabo Assembly segment is lying ‘vacant’ for which the Opposition Congress had demanded to hold by-poll along with the lok Sabha elections.
Congress MlA Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu had resigned from the party and Assembly’s membership on March 7. Also, Congress Dhuri MlA Arvind Khanna too put in his papers a day before the declaration of result.
Now, with all, except one, MlAs losing the lok Sabha polls, the State is expected to witness bypolls on three seats — Talwandi Sabo, Dhuri, and Patiala represented by Capt Amarinder. It is believed that Capt Amarinder may retain his membership of the Parliament, while resigning from Punjab legislative Assembly as Patiala MlA.
Capt Amarinder, in the battle of prestige, beat SAD-BJP combine candidate and BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley by more than one lakh votes. Three out of nine sitting MPs make the cut Punjab voters have exercised their franchise in favour of just three sitting MPs, including both from the lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, who were trying their luck — either from the same seat or from any other — out of the total nine who contested 2014 general elections.
Among the winners are Akali Dal’s Harsimrat Kaur —the daughter-in-law of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Akali MP Sher Singh Ghubaya, and Congress’ Ravneet Singh Bittu — grandson of Punjab’s late Chief Minister Beant Singh.
As Harsimrat and Ghubaya registered their victories in their own constituencies, Bittu projected himself as the winner all the way by winning ludhiana constituency after he was shifted from his Anandpur Sahib constituency.
Those who failed to secure people’s mandate for another time are four-time Patiala MP and Union Minister Preneet Kaur, the state Congress chief and Gurdaspur MP Partap Singh Bajwa, Sangrur MP Vijay Inder Singla, besides Rajya Sabha MP Ambika Soni — all from the Congress.
Akali MPs Paramjit Kaur Gulshan from Faridkot, and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa too failed to secure a win for the SAD-BJP combine. Both of them lost to Aam Aadmi Party’s candidates.