AC Cong demolishes SAD in bypolls

Breaking into the SAD citadel after two decades, the Congress party not only consolidated its position in Punjab Vidhan Sabha by bagging complete two-third majority with its victory in Shahkot Assembly bypoll, but also left the two major political parties in Opposition — Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — thinking.

The victory margin of massive 38,000 votes was “bigger” than what even the Congress and its candidate Congress’ Hardev Singh alias Laddi Sherowalia had expected. The results, announced on Thursday, throw more ‘unexpected’ surprises as both — SAD candidate Naib Singh Kohar and AAP candidate Rattan Singh Kakkar Kalan — lost in their respective village booth at Kohar Kalan and Kakkar Kalan, respectively.

Kohar lost by 78 votes in his native village Kohar, whereas Rattan Singh lost by 150 votes from his native village Kakar Kalan.

While the SAD found some ‘solace’ in retaining its vote share, the results have put a big question mark on AAP’s future in the State as being the main Opposition party, its candidate lost his deposit and finished at distant third with just 1,900 votes. In 2017 Assembly elections, AAP candidate Amarjit Singh Mehatpur had bagged 41,010 votes.

AAP STARING AT BLEAK FUTURE

Stunning everyone by bagging four Lok Sabha seats in 2014 in Punjab, AAP’s graph has taken a downfall in these four years. The party, which was dreaming of forming the Government in Punjab in 2017 polls, finished a distant second with just 20 seats, followed by resounding defeats in Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll and civic .

And with its candidate facing a humiliating defeat in Shahkot bypoll, AAP is staring at bleak future in the State if it did not come out of rough weathers strongly.

The party suffered a setback in the State after Arvind Kejriwal apologised to SAD’s Bikram Majithia for making drug allegations against him. The situation divided the party vertically. It is now a headless entity with its State president and co-president resigning, though the party high command refused to accept the same.

Even as the party made attempts to set its house in order in the state by appointing senior leader Manish Sisodia as its in-charge, nothing really has changed for it.

The party’s candidate — a Dubai-based NRI Rattan Singh Kakkar Kalan blamed his party leader and the previous candidate Mehatpur for the loss. “He did not work in the constituency after his defeat in previous elections. How you can expect we can win, as people left us,” he said.

AAP’s state co-president Dr Balbir Singh blamed it on the desertions. “We started very late in campaigning for the bypoll. There were also desertions and the ground reality was not in our favour,” he said.

Dr balbir said that AAP’s former candidate left the party and joined the Akali Dal. “He betrayed the party and voters of Shahkot. People were quite angry with him. So, it was the party that had to face the consequences in this bypoll,” he said.

Two other senior AAP leaders — HS Walia and CD Kamboj — had also joined the SAD before the by-election.

Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar said that the people of Punjab have not forgiven AAP as it has cheated them for being hand-in-glove with SAD. “Now people have come to know the real face of AAP and also the NRIs have deserted them after they came to know their actual motives, as they preached them alternative politics,” he said.

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh maintained that AAP’s decimation would be complete with its humiliating defeat in Shahkot.

SAD president Sukhbir Badal said that AAP faced a “total collapse” with the party barely polling 1.5 per cent of the vote share by polling 1,900 votes, only slightly more than the vote share under NOTA as well as that polled by SAD (Amritsar).

“The state of AAP can be measured from the fact that it did not even open its account in many villages. It has ceased to exist as a political entity in Punjab,” he added.

WAKE-UP CALL FOR SAD, LOST ITS BASTION

As the Congress broke into SAD’s pocket borough after over a decade, it was a wake-up call for SAD.

SAD fielded Naib Singh Kohar — son of its veteran leader and five-time MLA from the constituency — to retain the seat for the party, which is represented by just 15 members in the 117-member Vidhan Sabha.

But what could be more shocking and humiliating that its candidate was not supported by the voters of his own village. He lost by 78 votes in Kohar village.

However, SAD candidate has alleged that the EVM machines were “rigged”. “Even as counting took place before me, the machines were not fine, then what counting will do? There was not even a single booth from where I gained. Therefore, machines were rigged,” alleged Naib Kohar, who had left the counting midway.

At the same time, SAD president Sukhbir Badal sought to play down his party's defeat by claiming that it managed to retain its vote share in Shahkot by-election to emerge as the principal Opposition.

He said that SAD polled 43,944 votes against 46,913 votes it secured during 2017 assembly election.

“Shahkot election was fought in trying circumstances with the Congress government misusing excise, sales tax, panchayat and electricity board officials besides the police force to intimidate voters. Despite this, SAD put up a good fight and there is a groundswell of support in its favour,” he said.

Meanwhile, Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar said: “Akali Dal has been winning the Shahkot Assembly Constituency for the last 20 years. Now, a question arises that Akali Dal will have to see whether they will accept the leadership of Sukhbir Badal. Akali Dal has faced humiliating defeats consistently, be it Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll, today's Shahkot bypoll and civic polls.”

He said that the people of Shahkot have answered the arrogance of Akali Dal and its leadership.

Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu took a dig at Sukhbir Badal and his brother-in-law and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia, saying that SAD’s defeat was imminent wherever the two were present. They should retire and sit at home, he Sidhu.

REFERENDUM ON GOVT’s POPULARITY

Congress party has described the win as a referendum on the popularity of the Congress’ 14-month-old government in the state as its tally in 117-member assembly reached 78 — reaching the complete two-third mark.

Capt Amarinder hailed the victory as a “vindication of the government's people-centric policies, marking the total rejection of the negative, divisive and toxic politics of SAD and complete decimation of AAP”, while Punjab Congress chief Jakhar said that the people had again reposed faith in the Congress government.

“The people of Shahkot had voted for positive change and development, which his government was committed to delivering…With two-thirds majority now in the House, the government could bring in any legislation it wanted in the interest of the people of Punjab, without the fear of a negative Opposition obstructing its passage,” he said.

The Chief Minister said SAD’s continuing string of defeats in Punjab showed that they had completely lost favour with the people, who were not willing to forget or forgive them for the miseries and harassment to which they had been subjected during the 10-year misrule of SAD-BJP combine.

Despite both Sukhbir Badal and Bikram Majithia camping in Shahkot through the entire campaign duration, the people had outright rejected the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), said he added.