Punjab's ruling Congress candidate Hardev Singh Ladi today wrested the Shahkot assembly seat from the Shiromani Akali Dal...
Punjab's ruling Congress candidate Hardev Singh Ladi today wrested the Shahkot assembly seat from the Shiromani Akali Dal, defeating the party's nominee Naib Singh Kohar with a margin of 38,801 votes, an election office spokesperson said. Ladi got 82,745 votes while Akali candidate Kohar polled 43,944 votes in the May 28 bypoll, the spokesperson said. The seat was considered the SAD's borough with the late Ajit Singh Kohar, Naib Singh's father, being elected from there five times.
Congress candidate Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia wins Shahkot Bye-Election 2018
With this victory, the Congress' strength in the 117-member Punjab Vidhan Sabha will reach 78, a two-thirds majority in the House. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Rattan Singh Kakkar Kalan polled just 1,900 votes. Ladi maintained a lead from the start of the counting process for the bypoll, being seen as a barometer for the popularity of the 14-month Congress government of Amarinder Singh. While the Congress celebrated, Kohar alleged that the EVMs were rigged EVMs have tampered.
The counting took place before me, but if the machines are not right then what will counting do? There was not a single booth from where I gained," he alleged. The visibly upset Akali candidate left the counting centre in Jalandhar midway. In the Congress camp, the mood was euphoric with party workers and leaders distributing sweets and dancing the 'bhangra' at the Congress Bhawan in Chandigarh and Jalandhar.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh
"Congratulations to @INCPunjab & Hardev Singh Laddi for the landslide victory in #Shahkot bypoll," Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said on Twitter. He was joined by other Congress leaders, including Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar who said the people of Punjab, especially voters of Shahkot, had once again put their stamp of approval on the policies of the state government and the leadership of Amarinder Singh.
"Moreover, they have also shown the Akali Dal their place," Jakhar told reporters in Jalandhar. The Lok Sabha MP from Gurdaspur also raised question over the leadership of SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal following the defeat in their stronghold. Sukhbir Badal had taken charge of the poll campaign for the Akali nominee and had held several meetings before the bypoll. The Akali Dal, Jakhar said, has been ruling the Shahkot Assembly constituency for the last 20 years.
"... the Akali Dal will have to see whether they will accept the leadership of Sukhbir Badal. Akali Dal has faced consistently faced a humiliating defeat, be it the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll, the Shahkot bypoll today and also the civic polls," said Jakhar. He said the people of Shahkot had "broken the arrogance of Akali Dal and its leadership". His party colleague, state cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, also took a dig at Sukhbir and his brother-in-law and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia, saying the defeat of the Akali Dal was imminent wherever 'jija-saala' were present.
Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia wins
"Congress won the Shahkot bypoll by destroying the Akali bastion," said Sidhu. The counting process for the Shahkot assembly constituency bypoll began at 8 am in Jalandhar in the presence of the election observer, candidates of the political parties and their representatives today amid tight security arrangements. The counting centre was set up at the office of the director, Land Records, in the town.
Three-tier security arrangements were made to ensure that counting proceeded peacefully, Over 76 percent of 1.72 lakh voters exercised their franchise for the bypoll. The Election Commission had used EVMs and VVPATs at the all the 236 polling stations. The Congress had won 77 seats in the 117-member Punjab Vidhan Sabha during 2017 Assembly polls while the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance managed to win 18 seats. The AAP won 20 seats while the Lok Insaf Party had bagged two seats.
