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Mandate 2012: punjab
Twist in the tale: Cong has largest vote share
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Capt Amarinder Singh
Cong loses ground in Sangrur
Manpreet says not disheartened
Seven ministers fall
Sukhbir, Majitha top scorers
Akalis neutralised dera factor
majha
doaba
malwa Manpreet and Gurdas
14 women make it to Assembly
Raninder Singh
‘Atta dal’ brings Dalits to
SAD-BJP fold
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Mandate 2012: punjab
Chandigarh, March 6 It failed to read that the Sanjha Morcha led by Manpreet Badal would eat into its votes. It even failed to gauge the performance of the Bahujan Samaj Party and the impact of the ‘atta - daal’ scheme on the voter. Even more important, the Congress was defeated at the hands of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal. The Deputy CM did his homework well. The SAD went into the poll mode more than a year before the elections when Manpreet Badal resigned from the ministry. The Congress campaign took off only in November 2011. Sukhbir Badal ensured the Congress rebels continued to be in the race. The SAD played a part in ensuring that BSP candidates were fielded in all 117 seats. This led to a Congress rout in the Doaba region with all nine candidates from Jalandhar losing their seats. The party could win only six of the 25 seats in Doaba. After a month of furious activity in November 2011 when the Congress held district-level rallies, its campaign came to a standstill in December because of intense lobbying for the party ticket. Different coteries at the Centre ensured at least 20 tickets for their favourites who did not meet the winnability criteria as recommended by Capt Amarinder. When the campaign started the Congress was hampered by the fact that it had only one star campaigner in Amarinder. Senior Congress leaders, including Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Partap Bajwa and Jagmeet Brar were limited to their areas because their relatives were in the race. In contrast, the SAD had Sukhbir Badal and Harsimrat Badal taking care of the Malwa region which saw an Akali resurgence and a reduction in the Congress seats from 37 to 32. The SAD youth wing president, Bikram Majithia, propped up the SAD- BJP in the Majha region, which the Congress was expecting to sweep. The Congress got only eight seats in Majha. The Congress thought it had taken care of Manpreet Badal when it lured his confidants Kushaldeep Dhillon, Jagbir Brar and Kaka Lohgarh. This had limited success. The PPP attracted the anti-incumbency votes which would have normally gone to the Congress. It also made a dent in the youth vote, which again was pro-Congress. The votes garnered by the CPI and CPM, who were part of the Sanjha Morcha, also cut into the Congress vote bank. The Congress did not learn any lesson from the reverses suffered by it in the Doaba region in the last assembly elections. No attempt was made to create an alternative leadership there. It also failed to keep its cadre together with Dalits shifting allegiance to the BSP and urban voters remaining with the BJP due to infrastructure development in Jalandhar. While the Congress concentrated efforts on wooing the Dera Sachha Sauda, it failed to tackle Dera Ballan which is patronised by the Ravidasia sect. The dera, which was molly-coddled by the Akalis, strategically announced its support to the BSP, again hurting the Congress. The Congress also lost a large number of Dalit votes to the SAD-BJP alliance due to the atta dal scheme. The scheme, which caters to 17 lakh families, ensured the Dalits turned up in good numbers to support Akali and BJP candidates. The biggest body blow came from Sukhbir propping up rebel Congress candidates. Though the Congress alleged its rebels were financed by the SAD, the Pradesh Congress did not take make enough effort to bring them back into the party fold. There were 22 rebels who affected the party’s chances in more than six seats. Finally, Sukhbir’s initiative to bring Hindus into the party fold by inducting them in the party’s organisational structure paid dividends. This new cadre ensured the SAD-BJP did well in urban and even semi-urban areas to the detriment of the Congress. What went wrong n Wrong ticket allotment by the party n
PPP ate into Cong vote share n
Delay in campaigning by the candidates n
Sukhbir propped up Cong rebels n
BSP candidates on all 117 constituencies n
Lured by atta-dal, Dalit voted for alliance Bad start no recovery n
9.30 am: First signs of nervousness appear with most trends showing the SAD ahead in all three regions. But Congress leaders try to put up a brave face n
10.30: Anxiety increases with the SAD holding on to leads and reports of the BJP putting up a good show n
11.00: Sonia Gandhi's aide Ahmed Patel rings up Amarinder to take stock of situation n
12.20: A faint ray of hope emerges as channels shows the Congress catching up n
2.20: Joy is short-lived as Capt's aide Maj Gen TS Shergill (retd) walks in and says: "Sorry Yuvie I have let you down" n
2.45: "Bad" news pour from other places too. Amarinder decides to concede defeat Compiled by Jangveer Singh
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Twist in the tale: Cong has largest vote share
Chandigarh, March 6 The BJP polled 7.13 per cent of the total votes polled. Manpreet Badal’s PPP emerged fourth with 5.17 per cent votes in its favour. The Independents put up a good show polling 6.76 votes. The Bahujan Samaj party (BSP), contesting on all 117 seats, could get 4.30 per cent votes. The CPI polled 0.82 per cent votes, the CPI (M) 0.16 and the CPI (ML) 0.10 per cent. The Shiromani Akali Dal (Mann), polled 0.28 per cent votes. In 2007, the Congress had polled 40.90 per cent votes and the SAD 37.09 per cent. Vote share percentage Congress 40.11 SAD 34.75 BJP 7.13 PPP 5.17 BSP 4.30 CPI 0.82 CPI (M) 0.16
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Ready to quit post, says Capt
Chandigarh, March 6 Interacting with the media, he said he had never stuck to any post in his life. He said if the Congress president wished so, he would step down. Clearly taken aback at the SAD-BJP victory, he said it seemed the SAD’s development plank had worked. He said he was still not clear as to why the BJP had performed well. “We expected the BJP to be contained to five or six seats”. He refused to admit that wrong ticket selection was partially responsible for the Congress rout. He said he had got full support from the Congress high command on the issue. “Obviously, the problem is state-specific”, he said, adding otherwise all nine candidates from Jalandhar would not have faced defeat. Amarinder said the Doaba debacle was unexpected and the party would examine whether the BSP factor had led to this rout. Asked whether SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal’s management skills had won the day for the SAD-BJP, Amarinder quipped: “If you call money power management, so be it”. He claimed the Akalis had financed both the Congress rebels as well as BSP candidates. He said money power had also resulted in an aggressive advertisement campaign through which the Akalis were able to sell their development plank. The PCC president refused to admit that this was Sukhbir’s election. “They used Parkash Singh Badal’s face as surveys showed he was the most acceptable face in the SAD”. He said he did not agree with Sukhbir that there was no anti-incumbency in the state. He said the Congress would function like a responsible Opposition party. On Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal claiming that wrong ticket selection was behind the Congress defeat, he said she was part of the decision-making process. “She cannot make such a statement”. Amarinder said the state was in a precarious situation financially and that the new government should function responsibly. He said efforts needed to be made to remove unemployment and diversify agriculture practices. Charak contradicts Amarinder
Chandigarh: Congress general secretary Gulchain Singh Charak today said gaps in the organisational structure of the Pradesh Congress had led to the poll debacle. Charak refused to specify the gaps. He said the new organisational structure was announced very late and could not take off. “ Rural areas cannot be controlled from Chandigarh and the party paid the price for the same.” Charakh said that “some mistakes have been made during ticket allotment”. Charakh also claimed the SAD had used its money power to win. “We thought people would take money from the Akalis but not vote for them”. The Congress leader said money power also ensured the Congress rebels continued in the race. Similarly, the BSP election campaign was also run by the SAD, he said.
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Cong loses ground in Sangrur
Sangrur, March 6 By afternoon, when the writing was on the wall, Congress supporters preferred to stay indoor, while Akali supporters exploded into celebrations, congratulating one another. The results have been a bit disappointing for the Congress in Sangrur, where it has managed to pocket just two seats, whereas the SAD-BJP combine has claimed five seats. Insiders believed the Congress was already doubtful of a good showing in the district. "The party high command was callous in depriving seats to leaders like Mai Roop Kaur and pushing Surinder Pal Sibia to contest from Sangrur. Though Arvind Khanna won from the Dhuri seat, the losses are due to the choice of candidates," claimed a senior Congress leader. "It is a victory of the policies of the Shiromani Akali Dal. The people of the state have reposed faith in our government," claimed Cabinet minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa.
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Manpreet says not disheartened
Chandigarh, March 6 Manpreet Singh Badal, PPP leader, lost from both Gidderbaha and Maur. However, the PPP did manage to a vote share of 5.17 per cent, more than that of the BSP, which got 4.30 per cent votes. Manpreet’s close associates Bhagwant Singh Mann, Gurpreet Singh Bhatti, Abhey Singh Sandhu and others all lost. The PPP had fielded candidates 91 candidates, the CPI 14 and the CPM nine. The PPP was expected to win some seats because it had got a good response at its election rallies. What led to the PPP’s massive defeat? The single most important reason was lack of an organisational structure owing to which it failed to convert support to votes. Another reason was lack of resources. The PPP was unable to launch its campaign in the print and electronic media whereas the main parties ran a sustained publicity campaign. The money power at play two days prior to polling threw the PPP and its associates virtually out of the contest. Moreover, the party was solely dependent on its star campaigner Manpreet. The left leaders from Delhi did not take adequate interest in campaigning for the Sanjha Morcha candidates.
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Seven ministers fall
Chandigarh, March 6 The electorate has spurned several titans. Little wonder that many MLAs who had served more than one term in the assembly have had to bite the dust. Sukhpal Singh Khaira (Cong), Jasbir Singh Khangura (Cong), Avtar Singh Brar (Cong), Darshan Singh Brar (Cong), Lov Kumar Goldy (Cong), Ripjeet Singh Brar (Cong) Razia Sultana (Cong), Raj Khurana (BJP) and Sarbjeet Singh Makkar (SAD) have been rejected by the voters. Candidates like Harminder Singh Jassi (Cong), a close relative of the Dera Sacha Sauda Chief, too, have been defeated. Jagbir Singh Brar, who switched from the People's Party of Punjab to the Congress, too, has been rejected by the voters. PROMINENT LOSERS Finance Minister Upinderjit Kaur Rural Development Minister Ranjit S Brahmpura Local Bodies Minister Tikshan Sud Education Minister SS Sekhwan Minister for Jails Hira Singh Gabria Forest Minister Arunesh Shakar Agriculture Minister SS Langah Chief Parliamentary Secy SS Nannu Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon Deputy Speaker Satpal Gosain
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Sukhbir, Majitha top scorers
Chandigarh, March 6 Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon (SAD) won by 59 votes. Six candidates wrested their seats with a margin of less then 1,000 votes- Sarwan Singh from Kartarpur (823 votes), Vaninder Kaur Loomba from Shutrana (772 votes), Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa from Fatehgarh Churian (639 votes), Charanjit Singh Atwal from Payal (630 votes), Rajwinder Kaur from Nihalsinghwala (591 votes) and SR Kaler from Jagraon (206 votes). Among those who saw a thumping victory was Sukhbir's brother-in-law Bikram Singh Majithia who contested from Majitha and won with a margin of 47,581 votes. Capt Amarinder Singh won with a margin of 42,318 votes, Congress leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu (Ludhiana-West) with a margin of 35,922 votes and an Independent, who was sacked from the SAD after being named a candidate, with a margin of 32,233 votes. Those whose victory margin was more than 20,000 votes included Dinesh Singh (BJP) 23,096, GS Babbehali (SAD) 21,570), Manjit Singh Manna Mianwind (SAD) 29,225.
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Akalis neutralised dera factor
Chandigarh, March 6 For the past couple of elections, the spotlight has been on Jassi, not because of his party affiliation, but because of his proximity to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. The political influence wielded by the dera became all too apparent in the 2007 elections when the Congress not only got a major share of seats in Malwa but also almost scuttled the Akalis' endeavour to come to power. Since then the Akalis have been wary of deras. Subsequently, in the 2009 elections, the dera was fairly neutralised. To the relief of the Akalis, the Dera Sacha Sauda fell in line with the other deras in not playing an active role in the elections this time. If Jassi lost to Sarup Chand Singla of the SAD by 6,600 votes, the inference is obvious.That may be one reason for the Akalis improving their tally in the Malwa belt while retaining their hold both in the Doab and the Majha regions. Though the Akalis publicly maintain that they went to the electorate with the "development agenda" and hence succeeded, no party in the state can afford to cast aside the "Panthic agenda". This election the "Panthic agenda" was not highlighted. The Akalis could afford to do so primarily because it had won over the Sant Samaj by allowing amendments to the Nanakshahi Calendar. A month before the elections were announced on December 24, the SAD-BJP government went on an inauguration spree, throwing open to people not only Virasat-e-Khalsa, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Memorial at Chhappar Chiri but also the Chhota Ghallughara and Vada Ghallughara to meet its Panthic agenda. The SAD aligned with the Sant Samaj for the SGPC elections and swept the poll. Now it is preparing to take on the Delhi State Shiromani Akali Dal headed by Paramjit Singh Sarna for the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee elections. Sarna is a Congress supporter.
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majha
Amritsar, March 6 While the BJP won five out of the eight seats it contested, the SAD bagged 11 of the 17 seats it contested in the region. The only consolation for the Congress is perhaps the defeat of SAD bigwigs like Assembly Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon from Fatehgarh Churian, party stalwart Ranjit Singh Brahmpura from Khadur Sahib, minister Sucha Singh Langah from Dera Baba Nanak and Sewa Singh Sekhwan from the Qadian seat. Among the prominent winners for the ruling alliance are the CM's son-in-law Adesh Pratap Kairon from Patti, Youth Akali Dal chief Bikram Singh Majithia from Majitha, BJP state chief Ashwani Sharma from Pathankot and BJP MP Navjot Sidhu's wife Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu from Amritsar East. Out of these, Kairon managed to win his seat by a thin margin of 59 votes. On the contrary, Majithia, who like Kairon has family ties with the ruling Badals, won by over 47,000 votes. The biggest surprise for the SAD came in the form of Kahlon's defeat from Fatehgarh Churian as his rival and former Parliamentary Secretary Tripit Rajinder Singh Bajwa emerged triumphant by a small margin of 875 votes. Bajwa rode to victory by highlighting the issue of "fake cases" registered against Congress workers in his area. Langah, who was testing waters from the newly carved constituency of Dera Baba Nanak, lost to Gurdaspur Congress chief Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa by 2,900 votes. Like Langah, Brahmpura too failed the litmus test while contesting from the new constituency of Khadur Sahib post-delimitation. The Congress lost almost all the seats where the party's rebel candidates were in the fray. Leading the pack of rebels who proved the nemesis for the Congress in Majha was Ashok Sharma in Pathankot constituency who bagged 23,713 votes, which is more than the margin by which official Congress nominee Raman Bhalla (24,362 votes) lost the seat to state BJP president Ashwani Sharma who polled 42,218 votes. In Sujanapur Assembly seat, Congress rebel Naresh Puri polled 27,312 votes relegating the official party candidate Vinay Mahajan (22,994) to third spot. The winning margin of around 23,000 votes of BJP's Dinesh Singh Babbu here suggests that the Congress could have won the seat had there been no rebellion. Similarly, in Amritsar East, which was won by BJP's Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu (33,406 votes), rebel Congress candidate Simarpreet Kaur Bhatia (26,307 votes) pushed the party candidate, Sunil Dutti (25,964 votes), to the third spot. In Majitha constituency, Congress rebel Sukhjinder Raj Singh Lalli Majithia polled 26,393 votes while party candidate Shailenderjit Singh Shally was a poor third with a mere 7,629 votes against Bikram Singh Majithia. In Baba Bakala, Congress rebel Baljit Singh polled 17,088 votes against party candidate Ranjit Singh Chhajalwadi. Interestingly, unlike the Congress, the ruling SAD won both the Amritsar South and Tarn Taran seats despite facing a rebellion. The major winners for the Congress include former minister Ashwani Sekhri from Batala, senior Congress leader OP Soni from Amritsar Central, former Parliamentary Secretary Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa from Fatehgarh Churian, Gurdaspur Congress chief Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa from Dera Baba Nanak and Charanjit Kaur Bajwa, wife of Gurdaspur MP Pratap Singh Bajwa, from Qadian seat. Dissenters Matter Pathankot: Congress rebel Ashok Sharma bags 23,713 votes, more than the margin by which party's official nominee Raman Bhalla (24,362) loses to BJP president Ashwani Sharma (42,218) Sujanapur: Congress rebel Naresh Puri polls 27,312 votes; official candidate Vinay Mahajan (22,994) at third spot, loses by 23,000 votes to BJP's Dinesh Singh Babbu Amritsar East: Congress rebel Simarpreet Kaur Bhatia (26,307) pushes party candidate Sunil Dutti (25,964) to the third spot; BJP's Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu (33,406) wins Majitha: Cong rebel Sukhjinder polls 26,393 votes while party candidate Shailenderjit stands a poor third with 7,629 votes against Bikram Majithia Baba Bakala: Congress rebel Baljit Singh polls 17,088 votes against party candidate Ranjit Singh Chhajalwadi Prominent winners: APS Kairon, BS Majithia, Ashwani Sharma, Gulzar S Ranike (all SAD); Dr Navjot Kaur (BJP); TRS Bajwa, Ashwani Sekhri, OP Soni, SS Randhawa, Charanjit K Bajwa (all Cong) Prominent losers: Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon, Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Sucha Singh Langah, Sewa Singh Sekhwan (all SAD) Seats 25 SAD 12 BJP 5 Congress 8
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doaba
Jalandhar, March 6 The gain for the BSP meant a virtual rout of the Congress in most parts of the region. The Doaba belt has a Dalit population of around 45 per cent and the community members turned out in large numbers to vote. In 2007 as well, losses in Doaba resulted in the party's defeat. The BSP managed to broaden its voter base in Kartarpur, Phillaur, Jalandhar (South), Adampur, Sham Chaurasi, Phagwara, Nawanshahr and Banga seats. Though Nawanshahr Congress candidate Guriqbal Kaur Babli (35,910 votes) managed to defeat SAD rival Satinder Kaur Kariha, the BSP candidate Vinod Kumar secured 29,638 votes. Similarly, BSP's Shiv Ram got 21,943 votes in Balachaur where Chaudhary Nand Lal of the SAD (36,800) defeated his nearest rival Rajwinder Singh of the Congress (20,904). In Banga, BSP candidate Rajinder Singh got 21,492 votes even as Tarlochan Soondh of the Congress won the seat by attaining 42,023 votes. Mohan Lal Banga of the SAD stood second with 38,808 votes. Baldev Singh of the BSP secured 42,314 votes in Phillaur where influential Congress leader Chaudhary Santokh Singh (46,076 votes) was defeated by his SAD rival Avinash Chander (46,102). In Nakodar, four-time Congress MLA Amarjit Samra (52,849) lost to SAD greenhorn Gurpartap Singh Wadala (61441). The Dalit votes again played a crucial role in Kartarpur constituency where five-time Congress MLA and former Punjab Minister Chaudhary Jagjit Singh (47,661) was defeated by SAD veteran and five-time MLA Sarwan Singh Phillaur (48,484 votes). BSP's Kamal Dev managed to get 13,886 votes. Jalandhar (West) also witnessed an interesting fight as Jalandhar MP Mohinder Singh Kaypee's wife Suman Kaypee (36,858 votes) was defeated by BJP veteran Bhagat Chuni Lal (48,201 votes). BSP's Bachan Lal got 4,690 votes. Former Punjab Minister and BJP top gun Manoranjan Kalia wrested the Jalandhar (Central) seat by getting 44,962 votes against 43,897 by his nearest rival of the Congress Rajinder Beri. The Congress infighting apparently played a spoilsport for the Congress, which had initially decided to field Raj Kumar Gupta and withdrew him at the last hour. BSP's Rajinder Kumar got 4,678 votes, followed by PPP's Rajinder Cheema (2,253). The Congress, which was not able to win any seat in Hoshiarpur last time, opened its account with two seats as Sham Sunder Arora of the Congress defeated three-time BJP MLA and Local Bodies Minister Tikshan Sud in
Hoshiapur. Caste Politics The Doaba belt has a Dalit population of around 45 per cent and the community members turned out in large numbers to vote Former Punjab Minister and BJP top gun Manoranjan Kalia wrests Jalandhar (C), defeats Congress' Rajinder Beri Prominent winners:
Manoranjan Kalia (BJP); Guriqbal Kaur Babli (Congress) Prominent losers: Tikshan Sud (BJP); Rajinder Beri, Chaudhary Santokh Singh, Amarjit Samra (Congress) Seats 23 SAD 11 BJP 5 Cong 6 Ind 1
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malwa
Badal (Muktsar), March 6 Of the 1,078 candidates in the fray, Manpreet was the only one who contested from two constituencies. Despite the hyped anti-incumbency, Parkash Singh Badal broke all his previous records in Lambi by securing a lead of 24,739 votes and defeating his nearest rival and cousin Maheshinder Singh Badal of the Congress. He had won the last election in 2007 by a margin of around 9,000 votes when Gurdass Badal was his poll manager. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal secured the state's highest winning lead of 50,316 in Jalalabad . He maintained an unassailable lead right from the beginning over his Congress rival. Sukhbir had campaigned for very little time for himself in Jalalabad and had deputed his close confidant Nirbjeet Singh Dhanoa to do the job while he toured other segments. Another notable factor that has come to the fore is that the electorate, particularly in Bathinda district that was considered the core area of influence of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, have this time rejected his appeal for votes for his relative Harminder Singh Jassi of the Congress in Bathinda (Urban). He lost to the SAD's Sarup Singla after having thrice winning the seat. Jassi's daughter is married to the Dera chief's son. The SAD has won four of the six seats in Bathinda district where it had failed to win even one in the last elections. The Congress has managed to get only two. It was a reversal of the electoral scenario in Malwa where the Congress had won 22 seats in the 2007 elections when the SAD had got only 10 and the BJP two. Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon also sprung a surprise by winning the newly carved out Maur seat in Bathinda. He had won from Ferozepur last time. Surjeet Singh Barnala, who had split from the SAD, failed to show his strength in Dhuri segment of Sangrur where his son Gaganjit Singh Barnala secured third position by losing to Arvind Khanna of the Congress. CLP leader and former CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal again bagged the Lehragaga seat with a margin of 3,345 votes. A newcomer, liquor baron Deep Malhotra of the SAD, trounced Congress heavyweight Avtar Singh Brar in Faridkot while another Congress stalwart Ripjeet Singh Brar, brother of Congress leader Jagmeet Brar, was defeated by SAD candidate Mantar Singh Brar in Kotkapura segment. Congress stalwart Sunil Jhakhar recaptured the Abohar seat by defeating a BJP rebel, Shiv Lal Doda, in Abohar. Razia Sultana, who has remained the face of the Congress in Malerkotla, lost to Farzana Alam of the SAD. Scale Tilts Towards SAD PPP chief Manpreet ends third in both Gidderbaha and Maur constituencies Of the 1,078 candidates in fray, Manpreet the only one who contested from two seats Parkash Singh Badal breaks previous records in Lambi, defeats Congress' Maheshinder by 24,739 votes Sukhbir Singh Badal secures the state's highest winning lead of 50,316 in Jalalabad seat Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's relative Harminder Singh Jassi (Congress) loses to SAD in Bathinda (Urban) Prominent winners: Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal, Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Deep Malhotra (SAD); Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Arvind Khanna (Congress) Prominent losers: Manpreet Badal, Gurdas Badal (both PPP); Maheshinder Singh Badal, Harminder Singh Jassi, Ripjeet Singh Brar, Razia Sultana (Congress); Gaganjit Singh Barnala (SAD-L) Not disheartened: Manpreet PPP chief Manpreet Singh Badal said, “I humbly accept the verdict of the people. Though we did not win seats, I am not disheartened. We know we have a long way to go.” The PPP did manage a vote share of 5.17 per cent, more than 4.3 per cent of the BSP. Manpreet’s aides Bhagwant Singh Mann, Gurpreet Singh Bhatti, Abhey Singh Sandhu and others all lost. The PPP had fielded candidates 91 candidates, the CPI 14 and the CPM nine. Seats 69 SAD 33 BJP 2 Cong 32 Ind 2
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14 women make it to Assembly
Chandigarh, March 6 In the last Assembly elections, only seven women candidates, out of the 55 who tested the political waters, had succeeded in winning the elections. Though a majority of women in the fray were Independent candidates, none of them could manage to wrest a seat. Six women candidates each from the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress have successfully contested this year’s elections. Also, two women candidates contesting on the BJP ticket have made it to the Assembly. They include Rajinder Kaur Bhattal
(Lehra), Dr Navjot Sidhu (Amritsar East), Karan Kaur Brar (Muktsar) and Harchand Kaur
(Mehal Kalan). Punjab, known for its feudal mindset, has always been “unfair” to the fairer sex while sharing the political power. There have been times (1969 Assembly elections) when the Vidhan Sabha didn’t have even a single woman legislator. But things seem to be changing now. These Assembly elections saw maximum number of women candidates joining the fray - a majority of them as Independent candidates. As many as 93 women contested these elections. Of them, 68 contested as Independent candidates. While the Congress fielded 11 women, the SAD gave tickets to 10 women and the BJP to three women candidates. That the number of women voters in the state is now almost the same as male voters and that the women are no longer towing the family line while casting their ballot seem to have helped the women candidates in the fray. During these elections, as many as 66.14 lakh women exercised their franchise, as against 72.78 lakh men. Though political parties had reposed faith in young blood and given tickets to some young leaders, only two of them won at the
hustings. While Amrinder Singh “Raja” Warring has logged a win from the Gidderbaha seat, Inderbir Singh Bolaria has made the cut from the Amritsar South seat.
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Sukhbir behind success: Badal
Badal (Muktsar), March 6 Addressing mediapersons, Parkash Singh Badal said Sukhbir had worked very hard to make the electorate realise that the SAD-BJP government was genuinely trying to carry the state forward. The CM had a dig at the media for creating the hype that the SAD-BJP coalition would be wiped out and the PPP would emerge kingmaker. The results had indicated that the electorate had rejected Gurdas Badal and his son Manpreet who had deserted the SAD and tried to harm the party. The CM said that he would pay obeisance at the Golden temple tomorrow. He stressed that political vendetta was not on his agenda. He said the electorate has taught a lesson to rebels and also the PPP by rejecting their candidates.He praised the people for rejecting “negative politics”. Sukhbir said the SAD-BJP government would complete all unfinished projects at the earliest and remove the “shortcomings within”. Archit Watts T
N S from Badal (Lambi) While Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s palatial house wore a festive look, following the victory of the SAD-BJP alliance in the Assembly elections, those of his estranged brother Gurdas Singh Badal and cousin Maheshinder Singh Badal, who had contested from Lambi Assembly constituency, wore a deserted look today. As trends began to emerge in the morning, activity picked up at Badal’s house. In contrast, only a few family members were present at Gurdas Badal’ house located just 2 km from the Chief Minister’s residence. Jaijeet Singh Johal, brother-in-law of Gurdas’ son and PPP chief Manpreet Badal, who was present in the house, said: “Manpreet has left for Chandigarh and we accept the verdict of the people. But the results have really surprised us. Except for a few, people do not seem to have voted for a corruption-free state. Still, our candidates polled a large number of votes.” “Gurdasji has been away since morning. I am here with children,” he added. Attempts to reach Gurdas proved futile. The situation was no different at Maheshinder Singh Badal’s house, where not even a single supporter was found during the counting of votes. Barring two workers, the entire house was found empty. While talking over the phone, Maheshinder Singh Badal said: “I accept the decision of the public. The Akalis had apparently offered some sops to people, especially of the Lambi area. Otherwise, the condition of the area is almost the same as it was five years ago.” “I will talk to my supporters to figure out the cause of my defeat,”
he added.
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The mood in the Badal camp was upbeat from the word go.
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8.30 am: Supporters and mediapersons start gathering outside the main gate of the Badal residence. A large LCD screen was installed to show the latest trends. n
10 am : With the SAD surging ahead, party supporters started dancing and singing. n
12 noon: More supporters began pouring in amid dhol beats. n
1pm: Young Akali supporters, including girls, play with colours to mark a victory Holi. Beaming Badals come out to acknowledge greetings. n
2.30 pm: The CM, his son Sukhbir Singh Badal and daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal address waiting
mediapersons. n
3 pm: Badal’s take out a SAD victory procession.
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‘Yuvraj’ loses his second poll battle
Samana, March 6 After losing the 2009 Lok Sabha election from Bathinda to Badal bahu, Harsimrat Kaur, the decision to field Raninder from Samana was being considered as a launch pad for his political career. Though the Congress worked hard, especially Raninder’s mother and Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur, who devoted maximum time campaigning in Samana, it was the decade-long dedication of Rakhra towards the constituency that paid him well. From the very beginning of the election campaign, it was clear that Raninder would be facing a tough battle. Following these reports, the Congress rank and file had campaigned aggressively for Raninder. Though no Congress leader was willing to comment on the defeat, party insiders admit it is a big setback for Raninder. Another factor that worked against him was when the party gave a ticket to Raninder, his uncle Malvinder Singh quit the Congress in protest and joined the SAD. He even campaigned for Rakhra in Samana. The entire royal family, starting with Raninder’s sister Jay Inder Kaur to his cousins, had pitched in for his victory. Buoyed by the results, SAD Samana candidate Surjit Singh Rakhra said it was the victory of the party as a whole. “People of the state have shown belief in the policies of the party and the development works done by it,” he said.
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‘Atta dal’ brings Dalits to
SAD-BJP fold
Chandigarh, March 6 Nearly 17 lakh families are getting subsidised wheat and pulses due under the scheme implemented in August 2007. The families are getting 25 kg of flour at the rate of Rs 4 per kg and 2.5 kg of pulses at Rs 20 per kg. Following reports of Dalits having supported the SAD in large numbers in the last parliamentary elections, the government had increased the number of beneficiaries by a few lakhs. The SAD-BJP used the scheme as a prominent campaign issue while wooing the Dalit community. Coalition leaders claimed that the scheme would come to halt in case the Congress returned to power. This campaign had its effect with a sizeable Dalit population voting for the SAD-BJP for the first time. The Congress in contrast did not come up with any new welfare scheme for marginalised sections. Even though PPC president Capt Amarinder Singh announced that all welfare schemes would continue in case the Congress came to power, this was not spelled out in its election manifesto. Other welfare schemes, including the Shagun scheme, under which help is given on the marriage of girls belonging to economically weaker sections, old-age pension and the Mai Bhago bicycle scheme to Dalit schoolchildren paid dividends to the
SAD-BJP alliance.
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Win puts Tota Singh on strong footing Former top cop PS Gill loses Karan Brar wins, but no celebrations Bibi Jagir Kaur is back in Bholath
Farzana topples 3-time MLA Sultana Chandumajra, Dullo’s wife lose Mohali remains with Cong, Sidhu wins
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on anti-incumbency to ride to power, the Congress today found everything going wrong for it after facing a drubbing in the Doaba and Majha regions. While wrong ticket selection came back to haunt the party, its organisational structure failed to deliver.
Upsetting the Congress and the People's Party of Punjab (PPP) calculations, the ruling SAD bagged 21 of the 38 assembly seats in the Malwa region. The BJP got two while the Congress won 15. SAD rebel and PPP chief Manpreet Badal and his father Gurdas Badal were the prominent losers.
The atta daal scheme, which had saved the SAD-BJP from a rout in the last parliamentary elections, helped it annex Doaba, besides picking up seats all over the State.
Muktsar:
Gidderbaha with Cong after 20 yrs
Mohali: