Rahul Gandhi lost to Smriti Irani in Amethi after 15 years. (Express photo: Anil Sharma)A FEW cried, some hugged him and many others expressed surprise. This is how Bathinda reacted to Congress’s Amarinder Singh Raja Warring’s loss to SAD’s Harsimrat Kaur Badal with a narrow margin of nearly 21,000 votes.
Warring was seen in Rose Garden and Jogger’s Park in Bathinda Friday where he thanked people for supporting him. “This is a victory of Badal family and not Shiromani Akali Dal. Badal couple won their seats while all their candidates lost poorly. They are bothered about self and not the party,” he said.
Bathinda is considered a Badal bastion. This is the third consecutive time that Harsimrat has won from Bathinda since 2009.
“In 2014, Congress lost this seat by about 19,000 votes and this time by about 21,000 votes. This shows that Congress has the potential to win this seat. We are missing it after scoring 95 per cent. That other 5 per cent is missing,” he said.
Sources blamed infighting in Congress in Mansa and Budhlada assembly segments area for also affecting the outcome. Congress lost by about 8500 votes in Budhlada segment. In Mansa, it registered an increase of 2900 votes. Bathinda urban is represented by state finance minister Manpreet Badal. Warring, however, said, “I blame my fate and not any leader (for the loss)”.
Chief minister Amarinder has blamed Cabinet colleague Navjot Singh Sidhu’s controversial statements in Bathinda for party’s loss.
