Jalandhar, February 27
The Doaba region of Punjab dished out the worst-ever thrashing to the Congress in 2007 polls, the results of which were announced today. The Congress lost 20 of 25 seats in this region to the SAD-BJP combine. The Congress position had never been so bad even during the 1997 pro-SAD-BJP wave, when it had managed to retain as many as five of a total of 25 assembly seats. The sixth seat (Nawanshahr) had gone to then Independent candidate Charanjit Channi, who was put by the Congress from Hoshiarpur this time.

He lost to Tikshan Sud of the BJP. Sud was not only able to strike a hat-trick this time but proved that he was the BJP’s face in Hoshiarpur.

Similarly, the BJP, which has wrested 19 seats, had never had it so good in the Doaba region. Doaba has hitherto been considered a traditional Congress stronghold. Though in the past the BJP has been walking away with four-five seats, but this time it bagged seven seats, a number which is sufficient to please the BJP’s state and national leadership.

It is for the first time in the poll history of Punjab that BJP was able to snatch two time-tested seats -Jalandhar (North) and Dasuya (Hoshiarpur)- from the Congress and its heavyweights Avtaar Henry and Ramesh Dogra. Both were powerful ministers in the Amarinder Singh cabinet.

The BJP also created a sort of history by bagging three of four seats of Jalandhar city. It was K.D. Bhandari of the BJP who outnumbered Henry while Ramesh Dogra was pushed aside by Amarjit Sahi.

In fact, the Congress has barely been able to save its face in Doaba region this time on the basis of its victory in Kapurthala, Bholath, Nakodar and Garshankar. In Tanda, Independent candidate Sangat Singh Giljian humiliated the SAD-BJP’s old war horse Balbir Singh Miani, considered to be close to SAD chief Parkash Singh Badal.

In Garshankhar, Congress candidate Luv Kumar Goldi managed to retain his seat in adverse circumstances and despite it being the home town of the BJP’s state president, Avinash Rai Khanna.

Similarly, BJP was also able to wrest Phagwara from Joginder Singh Maan of the Congress though it is a different matter that both Maan and his rival BJP’s Swarna Ram have been ministers and old hands.

In fact, BJP’s image was at stake even at Jalandhar (Central) where independent Shital Vij contested on issue of ‘Hindutva.’ But party’s Manoranjan Kalia romped home. Similarly, Mukerian has also been a comparatively new turf where BJP’s Arunesh Shakar won against son of Punjab Assembly speaker Dr. Kewal Krishan.

A survey by The Tribune revealed that people not only discarded those leaders, who “preferred to stage their appearances in newspapers and TV channels than to perform,” but also pushed aside veteran politicians.

Kuldip Singh Wadala of the SAD in Nakodar, Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, Avtaar Henry, Tejinder Singh Bittu, Mohinder Singh Kaypee are a few examples which can fit in these two categories one way or the other. “Change is for good. Youngsters should come to the centrestage now,” quipped a poll pundit. The SAD-BJP combine, in fact, owes much to the Doaba region for its showing at the hustings because it made up for the considerable loss that it suffered in its own stronghold - Malwa region.

Jalandhar, February 27
It is a fortunate moment for the father-son duo who will represent two reserve constituencies of Banga and Phagwara for two different parties. There is another reason for the twosome to celebrate - the parties that they represent have also won as an alliance in the state.

An Akali candidate from Banga, Ch Mohan Lal, has won by defeating his rival and outgoing Congress MLA, Tarlochan Singh Soondh, with a margin of 2,439 votes. His father and a former Minister of Tourism and Culture, Ch Swarna Ram, contested on a BJP ticket from Phagwara and has ousted Mr Joginder Singh Mann of the Congress.

In fact, the father and son have been winning or losing together in the last three terms. While both of them had faced a setback in the 2002 poll, they had jointly won in 1997.

Nawanshahr, February 27
It is a clean sweep for the Akalis in the three Nawanshahr constituencies. Besides retaining the Balachaur seat they have added the Nawanshahr and Banga seats to their tally .

Nand Lal, Akali candidate from Balachaur made a hat trick this time. He managed a thin lead of 1,101 votes against first time Congress contestant Santosh Kataria. Considered to be a safe seat for the Congress, Nand Lal has virtually chaanged the trend here in favour of Akalis in the last three consecutive polls.

Nand Lal managed to get 41,206 votes ,while Santosh Kataria, last time contestant Ram Kishan Kataria’s daughter-in-law and Zila Parishad chief, polled 40,105 votes.

A winner in 1977 and 2000 bypoll in Nawanshahr, Jatinder Singh Kariha made a come back by defeating his Congress rival Parkash Singh with a margin of 5,813 votes. Riding high on his uncle Dilbagh Singh’s six-time success, Parkash Singh had been quite confident of retaining the seat.

Last time Parkash Singh had won the seat with a significant margin of 5,346 votes from BSP candidate Ram Kishan. Independent Hardev Singh Kahma finished the third ,followed by Akali candidate Resham Singh.

The reserved Banga seat too has gone to the Akalis despite Bahujan Samaj Morcha chief Satnam Kainth’s support to Congress candidate Tarlochan Singh Soondh. Mohan Lal has won by a medium margin of 2,439 votes.

Having been denied Akali ticket last time, Mohan Lal had managed to get 23,919 votes as a BSP candidate --the second highest after Soondh who had polled 27,574 votes. 

Kapurthala, February 27
All but eight main candidates of the SAD-BJP combine and the Congress lost their deposits for the four seats of Kapurthala district. They could not get the required one-sixth of the total valid votes to save themselves from forfeiture of their security deposits.

As many as 31 candidates were in the fray in the district, but 23 of them could not even manage to secure the required one-sixth votes.

Security deposit for the general category candidate is Rs. 5,000, whereas the same for SC candidate is Rs. 2500 for Assembly elections. Around Rs. 1lakh went to state exchequer due to forfeiture of security deposits of the 23 candidates. The top nine candidates who lost their deposits on Kapurthala seat include Sukhwinder Singh and Jia Lal Nahar of the BSP and BSP (Ambedkar) candidates , respectively.

Those who lost their deposits are Jia Lal Nahar (2226 votes), Sukhwinder Singh ((1026), Independents Balwinder Singh (636), Mohan Singh (434), Mangal Singh (332), Darshan Singh (179), Amar Singh (136), Arjan Singh (136) and Gulzar Singh (91 votes). As many as 93230 votes were polled for Kapurthala seat

Similarly the lowest three candidates who lost their deposits in Bholath are: Balkar Singh (1167 votes), Tilak Raj (928) and Amar Nath (330 ). A total of 89,705 votes were polled in this constituency.

In the same way, the deposits of five candidates were forfeited in Sultanpur Lodhi. They include BSP (A) candidate Balwant Singh Sultanpuri (1765 ), BSP candidate Gurdas Ram (1361), Independents Ranjit Singh (652), Amarjit Singh (627) and Kashmir Singh (177 ). A total of 92,263 electors exercised their right to franchise, however ,25 votes were rejected for the Sulatnpur Lodhi seat.

Likewise ,six of eight candidates ,including Harbhajan Singh (BSP, 12210 votes) , Sucha Singh (SAD Amritsar, 973) , Ashwani Kumar (Shiv Sena, 779), Tulsi Ram Khosla (BSP Ambedkar, 556), Santokh Singh (Democratic Bharatiya Samaj Party, 325 and Independent Jasbir Singh (1191 votes) lost their deposit for the Phagwara (SC) seat. Over one lakhs votes were polled here.

Jalandhar, February 27
Even as six women were fielded as candidates for various parties in Doaba, only three of them have managed to emerge winners.

The three women to make to the Assembly seats are Rana Rajbans Kaur, Congress candidate from Kapurthala; Upinderjit Kaur, SAD candidate from Sultanpur; and Mohinder Kaur Josh, SAD candidate from Sham Chorasi. This lowers the total representation of women in Doaba from a last time tally of four to three.

The biggest setback came for SAD’s Bibi Jagir Kaur from Bholath who lost to Congress candidate Sukhpal Singh Khaira with a significant margin of 8,864 votes. A Congress minister and second-time contestant from Jalandhar Cantonment, Gurkanwal Kaur, too lost it to SAD’s first-time contestant Jagbir Brar.

Santosh Kataria (Congress), a first-time contestant from Balachaur, too lagged behind with a thin difference of 1,101 votes from third time SAD winner Nand Lal. The four women MLA’s last time were Gurkanwal Kaur, Jagir Kaur, Upinderjit Kaur and Sukhi Rana, Rana Rajbans Kaur’s sister-in-law.