Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar snatched the Gurdaspur lok Sabha seat from the BJP by trouncing Swaran Salaria by whopping 1,93,219 lakh votes in the by-election. The result just ahead of the crucial Assembly polls in keys States of Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat is believed to have sent waves of anxiety in the BJP circles.
Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, for whom the elections were no less than a prestige issue, has described the “massive” win as “complete denunciation of the corrupt and immoral BJP and SAD”, besides “AAP’s political annihilation” in Punjab.
At the same time, Jakhar termed it as the beginning of the Congress’ revival and the end of the BJP from the entire country. “This will change the trend in the entire country…BJP must read the writing on the wall now…People have rejected the BJP and also shown mirror to the Akalis,” he said after the victory.
The BJP, on the other hand, is blaming the ruling Congress for rigging the polls, and “local issues”. A section of BJP leaders blamed its ally and the controversy involving former SAD Minister Sucha Singh langah and Swaran Salaria.
“BJP high command preferred Salaria over Kavita Khanna for many reasons. He was an inappropriate candidate to field against Jakhar as compared to Kavita Khanna with whom people have sympathy and that may work for
the party,” a senior BJP told The Pioneer in the off the cuff remarks.
Meanwhile, late BJP MP Vinod Khanna’s wife Kavita Khanna on Sunday expressed her disappointment over the Gurdaspur bypoll results and said the party would introspect on the reasons of the defeat.
“I am very disappointed with the result. I accept the outcome. The party will introspect on the reasons (of its defeat),” Kavita Khanna said.
Even as the bypoll does not mean much in terms of numbers, but the result has reflected to a great extent towards the admiration of Congress’ six-month rule in the State, and a wake-up call for the BJP supporters, who are banking on Modi wave to sail it through next polls.
About six months back, the Congress party in Punjab had managed to break the nationwide jinx of defeat by emerging victorious in the State Assembly polls. It was followed by victory for the party in the student body elections at Chandigarh’s Panjab University, Delhi University and more recently in the Maharashtra civic body polls.
Political pundits maintained that the BJP’s decision on demonetisation and GST will no doubt hit it hard as it has only hassled the people besides badly affecting the country’s economy.
The results are also a reveille for the AAP, which only six months ago was claiming of forming the Government in Punjab and eventually ended up on distant second. AAP’s candidate Major General (retired) SK Khajuria could not even save his security deposit.