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Fledgling AAP stuns rivals, bags 4 seats
Capt led from 7 of nine Assembly segments
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Manpreet loses to Badal Bahu by 19,395 votes
Anil Joshi resigns, takes blame for Jaitley’s defeat
Beant’s grandson Bittu wins, AAP’s Phoolka close second
All’s not well between SAD, BJP, say insiders
Akali Dal loses more ground in urban belt
SAD’s core panel to meet today
Akali Dal, Cong see fall in vote share
Sampla conquers Cong bastion Hoshiarpur
Rai Sikhs come to Ghubaya’s rescue
Chandumajra finally tastes victory
AAP factor helps Cong’s Santokh sail through
Sodhi demands Partap Bajwa’s resignation
Cong candidate Vijay Inder Singla loses security deposit
Changes in Cong need of hour: Capt
mansa
violence
Can’t take cognisance in Section 144 offence: HC
High Court told of demolition drive near Golden Temple
Patiala ex-mayor’s kin murder: HC hands over probe to CBI
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Fledgling AAP stuns rivals, bags 4 seats
Chandigarh, May 16
The SAD's performance is almost a repeat of the 2009 elections. It has won the same number (4) of seats. While it has retained the Bathinda, Ferozepur and Khadoor Sahib seats, it has lost from Faridkot and won the Anandpur Sahib seat instead. The BJP has won two seats this time. It has won Gurdaspur and Hoshiapur seats but lost the Amritsar seat. The BJP suffered a humiliating defeat in Amritsar where its star candidate Arun Jaitley lost by more than 1.10 lakh votes to former CM Capt Amarinder Singh. The Congress has fared badly, winning only three seats. It had earlier held eight seats. Party big guns sPartap Singh Bajwa, Sunil Jakhar and Ambika soni and Perneet Kaur had to bite the dust. Whereas the AAP got 24.5 per cent votes, the SAD got 26.3 per cent, the Congress 33 per cent and the BJP 8.7 per cent votes.The remaining vote share went to the Independents. The combined vote share of the SAD-BJP alliance is 35 per cent. AAP seems to have taken away 8 per cent votes from the SAD, that had got 34.75 per cent votes in the 2012 Assembly elections, and 7 per cent of the 40 per cent votes secured by the Congress in 2012. The AAP may have also eaten into the BSP and PPP vote share, (4.3 and 5.17 per cent respectively). The combined AAP-Congress vote share is about 57.5 per cent, far more than the ruling SAD-BJP alliance. The vote share of the SAD (Amritsar), headed by Simranjit Singh Mann, this time was below 0.5 per cent. Mann got about 14,000 votes from Khadoor Sahib where the vote share of Independents and others was about 5 per cent. AAP candidates defeated political heavyweights Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Preneet Kaur, Paramjit Kaur Gulshan and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot. The youth played a pivotal role in AAP's success. The party, that attracted the the poor sections, women, employees and farmers, has done well in the constituencies with a rural character such as Sangrur, Faridkot and Fatehgarh Sahib. Bhagwant Mann, who joined the AAP in March this year after parting ways with PPP leader Manpreet Badal, contested from Sangrur. He defeated SAD veteran Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa with a huge margin of over 2 lakh votes. Party candidate Prof Sadhu Singh (Faridkot) defeated SAD's Paramjit Kaur Gulshan by more than 1.70 lakh votes and Dr Dharamvir Gandhi vanquished Union Minister Preneet Kaur in Patiala. In Fatehgarh Sahib, AAP's Harinder Singh Khalsa defeated Sadhu Singh Dharmsot of the Congress and Kulwant Singh of the SAD candidate. In Ludhiana, AAP candidate HS Phoolka, lost to Congress' Ravneet Singh Bittu with a thin margin. The performance of its candidates in Anandpur Sahib, Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar was not bad either.
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Capt led from 7 of nine Assembly segments
What seemed to be a close fight once turned out to be a one-sided contest with Amarinder registering an impressive win by more than 1 lakh votes. He won from seven of the total nine Assembly segments of the constituency. Jaitley lost to Amarinder by 32,198 votes form Amritsar East while he trailed by 18,726 votes from Amritsar North. Sidhu had kept away from Jaitley’s election campaign because of his tussle with the SAD leadership. His wife did not canvass for Jaitley in the SAD-held municipal wards of her segment on the plea that SAD councillors had boycotted her in the past. The people's anger against Joshi over property tax and the rising sand and gravel prices was evident from the fact that most BJP councillors in Joshi's Assembly segment could not secure a lead for Jaitley from their wards. In the Majitha Assembly segment, the home turf of Bikram Majithia, Jaitley got a lead of 20,651 votes. This is a huge drop as Majithia’s winning margin in the 2012 Assembly elections was more than 47,000 votes. Amarinder repeatedly targeted Majithia on the issue of drugs and made a concerted effort to make inroads into the Majitha segment. Jaitley's defeat may hit Majithia's image as 'Majhe da Jarnail' (General of Majha). Amarinder got the maximum lead of 36,957 from Amritsar West. He won from all urban segments. In Amritsar South, which is represented by SAD legislator Inderbir Bolaria, he had a lead of 21,897 votes. Amarinder won from Attari and Ajnala and lost in Rajasansi and Majitha. He won by 9,940 votes from Attari, the stronghold of Cabinet Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike. He had a lead of 356 votes from the Ajnala segment represented by SAD's Amarpal Singh Bony. Unlike the 2009 poll when Congress’ OP Soni had led in the urban segments by 44,000 votes but had lost in the rural areas, Amarinder made further inroads into the urban segments, tripling the party lead to over 1.25 lakh votes.
Amarinder emerges Cong’s tallest leader
Chandigarh: By defeating BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley from Amritsar, former CM Capt Amarinder Singh has once again emerged as Congress’ tallest leader. Not only did his candidature enthuse the the Congress cadre ahead of the Lok Sabha poll, but his style of campaigning kept the spotlight on him. He defeated Jaitley by more than one lakh votes. Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa lost to Vinod Khanna in Gurdaspur by more than 1.36 lakh votes. While Bajwa got little support from local party leaders, Amarinder had a coterie of trusted aides around him in Amritsar. The immediate fallout of Jaitley’s defeat was the resignation of Punjab Industries Minister Anil Joshi, a Jaitley confidant —Sanjeev Singh Bariana
How the victory was scripted
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Manpreet loses to Badal Bahu by 19,395 votes
Harsimrat managed to scrape past Manpreet with a slender margin of 19,395 votes. She made it to Parliament for the second consecutive time, though her 2009 victory margin touched almost 1.21 lakh votes. No victory procession was carried out by the Akalis. Jasraj Singh Longia of the Aam Aadmi Party secured 87,901 votes, a factor being blamed for Manpreet’s defeat. The Independent candidates, some of whom are considered close to the Akalis, bagged about 44,000 votes. They too eat into Manpreet’s votes. Manpreet claimed a “moral victory”. He had been a lone ranger all through with only a few of the local Congress leaders coming forward for help. His campaign got a push with a rally by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on the last day of the campaigning. Speaking to mediapersons, Manpreet said: “We were almost there. It is a moral victory for us. If I know Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal correctly, he will not view this result as his victory. But it is a fact that we may have to tolerate the Akalis for three more years.” The PPP chief hailed the Congress, CPI as well as his party workers for fighting a clean election. He said they were pitted “not only against the Badals but also the entire state machinery”.
Mood sombre
The mood in the Harsimrat Badal camp was sombre as the campaign managers, led by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, had claimed she would win by over 1.5 lakh votes. Harsimrat also did not reach the office to collect her victory certificate. Sources said the certificate was handed over to her advocate by District Returning Officer KK Yadav. In a statement, she said, “I thank the voters and promise fast-track development in the region.”
Though almost 75,000 more votes were polled in Bathinda, Harsimrat got 5,14,727 votes compared to 5,29,472 she pocketed in 2009. Manpreet bagged 4,95,332, up from 4,08,524 secured by Congress candidate Raninder Singh in 2009. Manpreet got a lead of 23,911 votes from Mansa (urban) seat. The result may be a sad reflection on Akali MLA Prem Kumar Mittal. In Bathinda (city) seat, Manpreet led by about 29,510 votes. The Akali MLA, Sarup Chand Singla, was facing public ire. From Budhalda, Manpreet trailed by 2,315 votes. Akali Dal’s Chitan Singh Samayo is the MLA. In Sardulgarh, Manpreet trailed by about 20,500 votes even though Congress MLA Ajit Inder Singh Mofar was seen campaigning for him. From Bhucho, Akalis got a lead of about 5,000 votes. Congress MLA from Bhucho Ajaib Singh Bhatti had campaigned strongly for Manpreet. Former Congress MLA from Talwandi Sabo Jeet Mohinder Singh’s poaching by the Akalis helped them as the SAD got a lead of about 11,000 votes.
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Namesake nominees fall flat
Bathinda, May 16 The strategyto confuse the voters, though, did prove fruitful in Chhattisgarh where 12 namessake candidates were in the fray from one constituency. Mahasamund and Raipur constituencies in Chhattisgarh witnessed five Lakhan Sahus and 11 Chandu Sahus. The real Chandu Sahu of the BJP lost by a thin margin of about 12,000 votes whereas namesake Chandu Sahus collectively bagged almost 60,000 votes. The most controversial namesake candidate in Punjab was fielded from the prestigious Bathinda constituency where the “Badal Bahu” Harsimrat Kaur, the SAD-BJP candidate, was facing a strong anti-incumbency wave. She was pitted against her husband Sukhbir Badal’s cousin Manpreet Badal of the Cong-PPP-CPI combine. A “duplicate” Manpreet, who was never seen campaigning and his picture was missing from his election posters, secured 4,613 votes. Though this was a lot more than the 598 votes Manpreet’s namesake had managed in Gidderbaha during the Assembly elections in 2012. The namesake Manpreet, however, failed to make the difference. Manpreet lost by about 20,000 votes. Punjab witnessed the phenomenon in six of the 13 constituencies -- Amritsar, Bathinda, Sangrur, Faridkot, Ludhiana and Patiala. The state capital and the Union Territory Chandigarh also had a namesake candidate in the fray. From Amritsar, an Independent candidate Amarinder Singh bagged 1,059 votes. He was the namesake of the Congress’ winning candidate Capt Amarinder Singh. Another Independent, Arun Kumar, who shared the first name of SAD-BJP candidate’s Arun Jaitley got about 8,500 votes. Jaitley lost by over a lakh votes. In Sangrur, Independent candidate Bhagwant Singh got 2,334 votes compared to the massive 5,33,237 votes polled by the winning candidate Bhagwant Mann of the AAP. Another Independent candidate from Sangrur, Bijender, whose name sounds like Congress nominee Vijay Inder Singla, got 5,395 votes. Vijay Inder stood third with 1.81 lakh votes. In Faridkot, both Congress and the Akali candidates faced namesake candidates. Paramjit Kaur Gulshan (SAD-BJP) got 2.78 lakh votes while her namesake Paramjit Kaur polled about 1,100 votes. The Congress candidate Joginder Singh bagged 2.51 lakh votes (stood third) while his namesake Joginder Singh got about 2,600 votes. Ludhiana had a candidate named ‘Bittu’ of the Republican Party of India, who polled 1,271 votes compared to the 2.98 lakh votes of the winning Congress nominee Ravneet Singh Bittu. Similarly, an independent candidate Simerjit Singh got almost 4,000 votes compared to 2.1 lakh votes polled by Simerjit Singh Bains, an Independent. Patiala had an independent candidate Dharampal, who polled about 1,200 votes, while the winner Dr Dharamvir Gandhi had the victory margin of about 21,000 votes. Chandigarh had the Congress candidate Pawan Kumar Bansal, who bagged the second position with 1.21 lakh votes while his namesake Pawan Kumar got about 1,000 votes.
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Anil Joshi resigns, takes blame for Jaitley’s defeat
Jaitley received drubbing by 18,726 votes from Joshi’s Amritsar (North) Assembly constituency. Confirming the development, Joshi said he had submitted his resignation to Punjab BJP chief Kamal Sharma, requesting him to forward it to the Chief Minister. “I have quit as a minister owning moral responsibility for the defeat. We had sought the candidature of Jaitley from Amritsar and now that he has been defeated, I decided to resign from the post on moral grounds.” He said they had brought in Jaitley for better future of Amritsar as he could have been the game-changer not only for the holy city but also for the state. Joshi claimed Jaitley could have helped boost trade, tourism and industry. “Jaitley’s defeat is a huge loss for Amritsar, which the people will realise in the coming days,” he said. Kamal Sharma said he had received Joshi’s resignation, which he will discuss with Punjab BJP affairs in charge Shanta Kumar. On the other hand, Congress leader Karamjit Singh Rintu hit out at Joshi, saying it was "sheer drama" and if he was sincere, he should have handed over his resignation directly to the CM. Probably due to his difference with former MP Najvot Singh Sidhu, Joshi had led from the front in seeking the candidature of Jaitley from Amritsar. He along with his supporters even hosted a press conference to voice their demand for his candidature. Joshi had fallen out with Sidhu after the latter lost from his Amritsar (North) Assembly segment in the last Lok Sabha elections. A section of BJP leaders are also looking at Joshi’s resignation in light of the recent controversy sparked by the murderous attack on advocate Vaneet Mahajan, a complainant in dual vote case against him. “It seems like an attempt to save himself as he may have pre-empted that he is on a weak wicket after the Mahajan assault case,” said a BJP leader. Joshi was already facing rough weather as Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Jaitley had recently expressed their displeasure over the row triggered by the Mahajan assault case. Joshi had been in the news for the wrong reason for the last few months, as earlier a criminal complaint was filed against him and his family members in a local court in connection with the dual vote controversy.
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Beant’s grandson Bittu wins, AAP’s Phoolka close second
What has thrown up a surprise is theAAP remarkably good performance in Ludhiana. AAP nominee HS Phoolka finished a close second to Bittu, polling 2,80,750 votes. For Bittu, the Beant Singh factor worked. The strong anti-incumbency sentiment against the ruling SAD-BJP alliance in the state also went in his favour. Bittu’s campaign focused on the contributions and sacrifice of his grandfather, late Chief Minister Beant Singh. Bittu, a parliamentarian from Anandpur Sahib, was able to forge unity in the faction-ridden district Congress. The intensive elections campaign carried out under the guidance of his maternal aunt Gurkanwal Kaur, paternal uncle Tejparkash Kotli, both senior Congress leaders, also helped scripting his victory. In Ludhiana, both legislators — Manpreet Ayali (SAD candidate) and Simarjeet Bains (Independent candidate) — had to bite the dust. Bains, however, retained his edge in Atam Nagar and Ludhiana South Assembly seats. He is an MLA from Atam Nagar while his brother Balwinder Bains is an MLA from Ludhiana South.
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All’s not well between SAD, BJP, say insiders
Chandigarh, May 16 Punjab BJP's disciplinary committee chairman Shiv Dayal Chugh said Joshi, owning moral responsibility for Jaitley's defeat, had resigned. Top sources in the party have indicated that all is not well between the allies (SAD and BJP). They say the RSS had insisted on Joshi's resignation as it was alarmed over the party's eroding urban base. Also, the BJP was not in a mood to "forgive" the SAD for letting Jaitley down. A section of the RSS was said to be mulling drastic steps like asking the BJP to pull out its ministers and parliamentary secretaries. Sensing anti-incumbency, it was for the first time that the RSS workers came out in the open to canvass for the alliance candidates in Jalandhar, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur. Leaders of the RSS and a powerful lobby within the BJP reportedly met in Ludhiana last week and suggested "harsher" steps, including a change of guard in the party's state leadership and withdrawal of BJP ministers from the government. Joshi's resignation is seen as the first step in this direction. After the RSS and central BJP leadership conveyed its "displeasure" over the "arrogant" attitude of SAD's Majha leader, the top BJP leadership rushed Modi's right-hand man Amit Shah to Amritsar for a couple of hours in the last week of April to address the issue, insiders said.
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Akali Dal loses more ground in urban belt
Chandigarh, May 16 The names of several Akali ministers figuring in the synthetic drug racket, too, seem to have turned the voters away from the ruling alliance. Large-scale unemployment was another major issue that influenced the urban voters’ decision. Though the urban voters have never been the supporters of the Akalis, it was traditionally the BJP that commanded their votes within the alliance. But this time, the voting trends reveal that the voters have gone in favour of the Congress. Even those Congress candidates who have lost the election have done well in urban areas. In Amritsar, Capt Amarinder Singh got a massive lead of over 1,30,000 votes from five urban seats. In each of the five assembly segments of Amritsar city, he led by a good margin. Similarly, in Bathinda, Manpreet Badal got a lead of almost 6,000 votes in two urban constituencies of Bathinda and Mansa. In Jalandhar, Congress candidate Chaudhary Santokh Singh got a lead of 49,165 votes over SAD’s Pawan Kumar Tinu in the three urban segments of Jalandhar West, Jalandhar Central and Jalandhar North. Even in Ferozepur, where Sunil Jakhar lost to SAD’s Sher Singh Gubaya, the former managed to get a lead in three of the five urban segments. The one constituency where the Akali-BJP combine did well in urban pockets was Gurdaspur. In Gurdaspur, the BJP got an edge of 23,000 votes in Batala and Pathankot, mainly because of a clear Modi wave in this constituency. The message for the ruling alliance is now clear. It will only be good governance and resurgence of the urban infrastructure that will help the combine find favour among the urban voters.
Cause of concern
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SAD’s core panel to meet today
Chandigarh, May 16 The SAD president said the elections signalled the end of the Congress. "The Congress is already dead.They have been beaten by a newcomer (AAP) in politics. AAP has got four seats while the Congress has got merely three," Sukhbir said except for Capt Amarinder Singh, its heavyweights had fallen by the wayside. "The party will now break into factions and the factions will be led by Capt Amarinder, Partap Bajwa, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Sunil Jakhar, Jagjit Chaudhry, Ambika Soni." Sukhbir said that it was a matter of pride that the SAD-BJP alliance had improved its tally of Lok Sabha seats from five in 2009 to six now.
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Akali Dal, Cong see fall in vote share
The SAD has won four seats, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Khadoor Sahib and Anandpur Sahib, of the 10 it contested. While the party’s win in Bathinda, Ferozepur and Khadoor Sahib was along the expected lines (these seats have been held by the Akalis for several years), the Anandpur Sahib seat has been won by default. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) got 3.06 lakh votes, majorly cutting into the Congress share and helping Prem Singh Chandumajra emerge victorious. The SAD leadership, though, could take solace from the fact that they had not met with a drubbing like the Congress, whose tally has fallen from eight seats in 2009 to three now. But the fact remains that inspite of the party winning as many seats as in 2009, its vote share has gone down drastically — from 33.85 to 26.4 per cent. Interestingly, the Aam Aadmi Party has opened its account in Punjab by winning four seats, Patiala, Sangrur, Fatehgarh Sahib and Faridkot. It managed a 24.4 per cent vote share in Punjab, thus closing ranks with the SAD. As against 36.36 lakh votes polled for the SAD, the AAP got 33.71 lakh votes. On the other hand, the vote share of the Congress has fallen by 12 points from 45.33 per cent in 2009 to 33 per cent currently.
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Infighting behind Preneet’s fall
Patiala, May 16 The local Congress leadership failed to put up a united front. In the assembly segment of Patiala Rural (which has 22 municipal wards), represented by Congress leader Brahm Mahindra, AAP polled 56,082 votes as compared to the Congress’ 42,013. In Nabha, where the Congress faced infighting, the party polled 37,690 votes as compared to AAP's 62,187 votes. A composed Preneet told The Tribune after the verdict: “I will surely stand by everyone who stood by me.”. The only solace for Preneet is that her husband has won the Amritsar seat and will now have to resign as Patiala Rural MLA. Asked if she would consider contesting as MLA from her husband’s seat, Preneet said she had not thought about it. Akali candidate Dhillon, who stood third, performed badly in Patiala Urban, Nabha and Patiala Rural. Despite Cabinet Minister SS Rakhra promising him a lead of over 15,000 from his constituency of Samana, he polled 40,447 votes as compared to the Congress' 41,194 votes and AAP’s 38,912 votes from the seat. Dhillon blamed anti-incumbency and infighting for his defeat. Rakhra said that it was time for introspection as the people had certainly voted against the SAD-BJP alliance. The minister had claimed almost a fortnight before polling that the party would win the Patiala seat by one lakh votes.
On the sidelines
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Brahmpura gets new lease of life
Amritsar, May 16 A total of 4,67,332 votes were polled in favour of the SAD candidate while Harminder Gill got 3,66,763 votes. Brahmpura got the biggest lead of 37,863 votes in Khadoor Sahib assembly segment, where he had lost to Ramanjit Singh Sikki of Congress by 3,054 votes in 2012 assembly elections. Then, many had predicted that Brahmpura’s political career was over. Though Brahmpura faced opposition from several party MLAs in the constituency, his victory proved the constituency was still a SAD stronghold. AAP’s Bhai Baldeep Singh got 1,44,521 votes. The total number of voters, who opted for NOTA, were 5,624. Simranjit Singh Mann of SAD (A) got 13,990 votes while the BSP’s Sucha Singh Mann got only 8,491 votes. A jubilant Brahmpura said the people had voted against the anti-people polices of the Congress. Harminder Singh Gill of Congress gracefully accepted his defeat.
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Sampla conquers Cong bastion Hoshiarpur
Sampla, tagged as a novice in electoral politics, formerly worked as a plumber’s help in Saudi Arabia. He took significant leads of 16,748 votes from Mukerian, 9,961 votes from Bholath and 5,363 votes from Dasuya assembly segments. A former PPCC president, Kaypee, who had last contested from Jalandhar seat, took a big lead of 8,447 votes from Sham Churasi, 6,486 votes from Chabbewal, 4,851 from Phagwara and 1,764 votes from Hoshiarpur assembly segments. Sampla’s margin kept fluctuating in every round. He turned up with his family and supporters at the counting centre at the fag end of the day. Kaypee took the lead in five of the 18 rounds. Bagging 2,13,388 votes, AAP candidate Yamini Gomar got a vote share of 22 per cent. The BSP that had got 1,03,320 votes last time, got 40,497 votes for its candidate Bhagwan Singh Chauhan this time. As many as 5,976 persons pressed the NOTA button. Sampla owed his success to party workers. Congress candidate Kaypee said they would analyse the factors behind his loss. Yamini, on the other hand, was on cloud nine with the response.
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Khanna rides home on Modi wave
Gurdaspur, May 16 Khanna polled 4,82,114 votes against 3,46,008 polled by Bajwa. AAP’s SS Chhotepur polled 1,36,106 votes. Observers are stunned at Khanna's victory margin. The latter has won the seat for the fourth time. He had held the seat in 1998, 1999 and 2004. In 2009, he lost to sitting Congress Member of Parliament (MP) and PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa by 8,300 votes. Chhotepur was expected to put up a spirited fight. But things turned out otherwise with Chhotepur eating into the Congress vote bank, leading to Bajwa's defeat. Addressing an impromptu press conference, Khanna said: “Bajwa did nothing for the constituency. This is evident from the fact that a huge chunk of his MPLAD fund, amounting to nearly Rs 20 crore, remained unutilised. He spent 70 per cent of the fund on his own hometown of Qadian from where his wife Charanjit Kaur is sitting MLA. "He neglected eight of the nine Vidhan Sabha seats that form part of the constituency. He did not keep his promise to establish a rail coach factory (RCF) at Kalanaur. He could have brought the project to the constituency as it was the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre.” What worked in Khanna's favour was the fact that the BJP rank and file had been working hard in the constituency for the past three years. Ahead of the elections, RSS workers had fanned out in all nine Assembly seats. The party’s decision to set up Shakti Kendras (one Shakti Kendra for every five polling booths) paid off. Rallies addressed by the party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, party president Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in the run-up to the elections also swayed the voters in Khanna's favour. On the other hand, the Chief Minister’s tag flaunted by Partap Singh Bajwa did not go down well with the voters. His prolonged absence from the constituency also went against him. “Despite remaining in power for five years, Bajwa failed to bring a single big ticket project in the area which could have given jobs to the youth. His absence from the constituency and his partisan attitude in distributing the MPLAD fund contributed to his loss,” claimed Dr Samrendra Sharma, a Khanna loyalist. Khanna took a lead in the first round and it kept increasing every successive round. Khanna took an unbeatable lead of more than 90,000 votes at the end of the 12th round. The former Union Minister fared well in all three segments of Pathankot district. He got a lead of 18,000 from Pathankot city, 20,000 from Sujanpur and 17,000 votes from Bhoa. He also won in all six segments of Gurdaspur district.
‘Bajwa did nothing’ ‘Shocked by outcome’
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Rai Sikhs come to Ghubaya’s rescue
The Rai Sikh community, which had voted en bloc for the Akali candidate in the previous elections, again put their weight behind their clansman Ghubaya, ensuring his win. In 2009, Ghubaya had defeated Jagmeet Singh Brar of the Congress by 21,071 votes. Silencing his critics over the alleged lopsided development in the constituency, Ghubaya has not only consolidated his position within the party but has also reaffirmed his stature as an undisputable leader of the Rai Sikhs in this region. Contrary to the expectations, Jakhar could not manage a decent margin from Abohar and Balluana from where he got a lead of just 5,662 and 5,764 votes, respectively. In the four assembly segments represented by Congress legislators in this Lok Sabha segment, the party could only get lead from Ferozepur Urban and Abohar whereas it trailed in Muktsar and Guruharsahai. Satnam Paul Kamboj of AAP who belongs to the Kamboj community was polled over 1.13 lakh votes which affected the prospects of the Congress candidate. Internal strife within the Congress rank and file can be blamed for the loss, say observers. Earlier in 1996, Jakhar had lost to another Rai Sikh Mohan Singh Phalianwala of the BSP. This time, the party was banking on him to revive the charisma of his father Balram Jakhar, who had won this seat by 1.94 lakh votes in 1980. Ghubaya got a led of 32,888 votes from the Jalalabad assembly segment, which is represented by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, He got a lead of 10,047 and 9,428 votes from Fazilka and Guruharsahai, respectively. The Rai Sikhs have a significant presence in these three assembly segments.
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Chandumajra finally tastes victory
Facing a huge anti-incumbency in the constituency, Chandumajra could manage to get a lead only from two of the nine Assembly segments - Anandpur Sahib and Kharar. Interestingly, AAP candidate Himmat Singh Shergill, who stood third, got a lead from four Assembly segments of Mohali, Chamkaur Sahib, Nawanshahr and Banga. The Congress was the highest vote grosser in the remaining three Assembly segments.
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AAP factor helps Cong’s Santokh sail through
Political observers say besides pocketing anti-incumbency vote against Akali-BJP combine, a large chunk of Dalit voters drifted towards AAP, which is quite evident with BSP candidate’s vote share sliding from 93,592 votes in 2009 to 46,913 this time. What is significant is the fact that despite being on an extremely weak wicket in the 2012 assembly poll, the SAD-BJP combine managed to wrest all nine Assembly seats of Jalandhar. This time, the SAD-BJP got lead just from Nakodar and Shahkot Assembly segments. Even from Adampur (SC) from where Tinu is sitting MLA, the Akali Dal got just 29,966 votes whereas the Congress and AAP got 34,432 and 28,164 votes, respectively. Chaudhary Santokh Singh said it was writing on the wall that the Akali Dal would face a massive defeat in Jalandhar. “I was sure of my win in the wake of my contribution towards the development of the constituency for more than three decades.” Tinu said: “I respect the mandate of the people. We will analyse what went wrong.” Jyoti said she was overwhelmed with the faith reposed by the voters in her.
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AAP’s Prof Sadhu Singh makes a mark in Faridkot
Defeating the two-time SAD(B) MP Paramjit Kaur Gulshan and two-time Congress MLA Joginder Singh, Prof Sadhu Singh, a retired teacher, wrested the Faridkot seat, getting 4,50,751 votes. The SAD and Congress candidates polled 2,78,235 and 2,51,222 votes respectively. Though there was an addition of about one lakh new voters in the Faridkot constituency, the Akali and Congress candidates suffered a big dip in the vote share in comparison to the 2009 election. Against the 4,55,734 votes that SAD candidate got in the 2009 election, Gulshan polled 2,78,235 this time. The total votes the Congress candidate received also decreased from 3,95,692 in 2009 to 2,51,222 this time. Out of the total nine assembly segments in the constituency, Sadhu Singh trailed only in Gidderbaha and Rampura Phul Assembly segments.
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‘Novice’ Harinder Khalsa springs surprise
Khalsa got 3,67,293 votes. He managed to maintain lead in six Assembly segments - Fatehgarh Sahib, Bassi, Samrala, Payal, Raikot, and Amargarh. The Congress candidate got a lead only from the Khanna and Amloh Assembly segments whereas the SAD-BJP candidate could get a lead only from the Sahnewal segment. Khalsa got a maximum of 59,482 votes in Raikot, followed by 45,648 votes in Amargarh and 42,213 votes in
Payal.
Will try to revive industry, says Khalsa Fatehgarh Sahib: Unexpected results were witnessed in Fatehgarh Sahib (reserved) constituency as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Harinder Singh Khalsa won the Lok Sabha elections, defeating his nearest rival Congress candidate Sadhu Singh Dharamsot by 54,144 votes. Khalsa said people were fed with the anti-people policies of the Congress and the SAD-BJP combine and so, had voted for AAP. While thanking voters, he said he would try to come up to their expectations. "The development of drains and roads in villages is not the real issue," he said, adding, "The agenda is uproot corruption and change the prevailing system." Khalsa said he would make efforts to bring back industries, which had moved to other states of the country. He said, "My focus will be to bring a mega industrial project so that unemployed youths can get jobs." He said he along with his party leaders would also initiate a drive against drug menace. — TNS
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Sodhi demands Partap Bajwa’s resignation
He said the state unit had failed to cash in on the anti-incumbency factor in the state. The party failed to focus on the growing incidence of farmer suicides, rampant drug abuse and mafias operating in the state, he said. Sodhi also condemned Bajwa for acting irresponsibly in misleading the party high command on the ground realities in the state. “Had he briefed senior leaders about the factors at play, things would not have come to such a pass that the party fared worse than the fledgling AAP,” he pointed out. Bajwa should accept the mandate of the people and tender his resignation without delay so that the revamp of the party rank and file could begin without delay, he said. He added the high command should hand over the reigns of the party to former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh.
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Cong candidate Vijay Inder Singla loses security deposit
Sangrur, May 16 Mann secured 5,33,237 votes out of the total 10,99,467 votes while Dhindsa obtained 3,21,516 votes. Singla got only 1,81,410 votes. He needed to secure 1,83,244 votes to save his security deposit. The NOTA (none of the above) button was pressed by 2,188 voters in the constituency. Out of the total nine Assembly segments, SAD candidate Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa was in the lead only in Lehra Assembly segment while Bhagwant Mann was in the lead in the remaining segments --- Dirba, Sunam, Bhadaur, Barnala, Mehal Kalan, Malerkotla, Dhuri and Sangrur. Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Madan Bhatti and SAD (Mann) candidate Master Karnail Singh Narike secured 8,408 and 4,127 votes, respectively. CPI candidate Sukhdev Ram Sharma got 6,934 votes while CPI(M) candidate Joginder Singh Aulakh secured 3,315 votes.
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Changes in Cong need of hour: Capt
Amritsar, May 16 Addressing mediapersons after his emphatic victory here today, Amarinder said the Congress would introspect as to what led to its defeat in Punjab. On a query regarding PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa’s leadership, he said it would be too early to comment on the matter. “We will deliberate on the poll outcome with the party high command before taking any step forward,” he said. On the emergence of AAP in the state, he said, “Punjabis are forward-looking people and they are considering that what AAP is saying is true. However, they will soon realise as the people in Delhi have. Where is AAP in Delhi now?” He said they had anticipated that the AAP would make gains in the state while admitting that it had come as a threat to the Congress but not as big as was the PPP. “In the Assembly polls, it was the PPP that troubled us and this time it was the AAP.” He blamed a string of “unproven scams” and Anna Hazare movement for the defeat of the Congress at the national level while saying that “it happens in politics”. “Sometimes you win, others you lose. But, we will fight back,” he added. Striking an emotional chord on his victory, Amarinder said, “Thirty years after I resigned from the Congress and Parliament to protest against the Operation Bluestar in Amritsar, the people of the holy city have sent me back to the Lok Sabha.” He said the Congress would wipe out the SAD-BJP alliance in the 2017 Assembly elections. He thanked the party leaders and workers for putting up a united fight against the ruling alliance and making him victorious.
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The party will soon hold a meeting to discuss the issue threadbare. After a brain-storming session, we will try to remove the
shortcomings This is the end of the story for Manpreet. I have got almost the same number of votes, which I had got in the previous
elections I want to tell the ruling Badal family that the real picture has just begun and this was just a trailer. This is the beginning of a story, not the
end Changes have to be made not only in Punjab but at the national level in view of the Congress' worst ever performance in the Lok Sabha
elections I have fought for change in the political system and the people have voted for me for this cause. People, who are fed up with unemployment, poverty, corruption, inflation and drug abuse, see a ray of hope in
me Bhagwant Mann succeeded in getting a major vote share of the Congress. Supporters of the BSP and the SAD (Amritsar) tilted towards him. But the SAD vote bank had remained almost in tact.The anti-incumbency sentiment helped the AAP candidate get floating votes as
well I attribute my win to the Modi wave and also to the fact that my predecessor Partap Singh Bajwa did not bring any big ticket project to the constituency, leading to rampant unemployment. People remembered the work I did during my previous three terms as Gurdaspur Member of Parliament from 1998 to
2009 I will make efforts to bring back industries, which had moved to other states of the country. My focus will be to bring a mega industrial project so that unemployed youths can get jobs. I along with other party leaders will also initiate a drive against drug
menace The loss is entirely of the people of Amritsar. The NDA has got a clear mandate and Jaitley will still be a
minister
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mansa violence
Mansa, May 16 Doctors from Bathinda and other surrounding districts came in support of Dr Akashdeep, whose house was vandalised. The victim's family has accused Dr Akashdeep of the boy's death. The doctors said if people blamed doctors for deaths of patients, it would be impossible to admit serious patients. They said that if their demands were not met, they would paralyse the medical facilities indefinitely. They demanded arrest of accused who ransacked a private hospital in Mansa and the doctor's house, besides seeking suspension of police officials for not reining the protesters. The police have registered a case against nearly 400 unidentified people under Sections 454, 380, 148 and 149 of Indian Penal Code, but no one has been
arrested.
Patients harassed Fazilka: Members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Fazilka branch, observed strike today to protest against violence over the death of a 14 year-old-boy due alleged medical negligence at a Mansa hospital. The patients were at the receiving end, as the work remained suspended in about two dozen private hospitals, nursing homes and Civil Hospital. During a meeting, Punjab IMA president Dr Ashwani Loona condemned the Mansa police for their failure to protect the members of doctor's family and property. "The miscreants should be arrested soon and an action be taken against them under the Nursing Home Protection Act, otherwise the doctors will intensify the agitation," said Dr NK Sethi, secretary, IMA. The Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association, Fazilka, extended support to the IMA’s agitation. — TNS
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Can’t take cognisance in Section 144 offence: HC
Chandigarh, May 16 The High Court has made it clear that an FIR under Section 188 of the IPC could be registered for violating promulgation under Section 144, as it was a cognisable offence. Yet cognisance could not be taken without a complaint in writing by public servant concerned in terms of Section 195(1) of CrPC. The judgment is significant as Section 144 is a major tool in the hands of the Executive Magistrate to prevent obstruction, annoyance and even injury to the public in general. Its breach is covered under Section188 of the IPC. Often Section 144 is promulgated to ban unlawful assemblies, including political gatherings. It now means that the court can take cognisance only when there is a written complaint. The ruling by Justice RP Nagrath came in the case of Parwinder Singh and other petitioners against the State of Punjab. The petitioners were seeking the quashing of FIR registered at Police Station Sadar, Dhuri, in Sangrur district, on October 18, 2012. The District Magistrate on October 13, 2012, had issued notification under Section 144, prohibiting gathering of five or more persons, raising slogans and carrying arms at a public place. The petitioners were allegedly found travelling in a vehicle carrying certain arms. Taking up the matter, Justice Nagrath asserted: “I am of the considered view that FIR for the offence under Section 188 IPC cannot be quashed as it is cognisable for which the police was bound to register FIR for which promulgation was issued by the District Magistrate. “It is, however, not disputed by the state counsel that after investigation of the case, challan was presented by Station House Officer of Police Station Dhuri and cognisance of the offence (was taken) on the basis of police report, without any complaint being made by District Magistrate. That is not permissible in terms of Section 195 CrPC”. Quashing the framing of charge and consequent proceedings initiated against the petitioners, Justice Nagrath added Section 195 made it clear that the Courts cannot take cognisance of offence punishable under Sections 172 to 188 of the IPC, “except on the complaint in writing of the public servant concerned or of some other public servant to whom he is administratively subordinate….”
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High Court told of demolition drive near Golden Temple
Chandigarh, May 16 The development is significant as 131 illegal constructions have so far been identified. Taking up the matter, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Arun Palli asked the government to submit its status report by July 22. The committee, constituted by the government, includes Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat, IAS officer Rahul Tewari and PCS officer Sandeep Rishi. The High Court had earlier directed the state government and Amritsar Municipal Corporation to submit the report on action against erring officials responsible for allowing hotels and guest houses to come up on the periphery of Galiara project, and for delaying action against such hotels in violation of municipal building by-laws. The court had observed that the illegal constructions of hotels and guest houses in Amritsar were a nuisance for the Galiara project near Harmandar Sahib.
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Patiala ex-mayor’s kin murder: HC hands over probe to CBI
Chandigarh, May 16 The matter was brought to the HC’s notice after a petition was filed by Amarjit Singh Sodhi of Patiala. He was seeking a CBI investigation into the alleged murder of his daughter Parampreet Kaur. Critical regarding the probe, Justice Singh had censured the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for its dilly-dallying attitude towards investigation. The development is significant as the petitioner’s counsel had all along been requesting for a CBI probe. The petitioner’s counsel on a previous date of hearing had told the Bench that another mobile phone was being used by Jaspal Singh and the SIT had not looked at its calls. State counsel Anupinder Singh Grewal had earlier submitted that the SIT was investigating in a fair manner; and had not given a clean chit to anyone in the case. The SIT, headed by Punjab Inspector General of Police (Crime) RPS Brar, was probing the alleged murder of Parampreet Kaur. Daughter-in-law of former mayor Jaspal Singh, she was found dead on February 23, 2013. The SIT had submitted its report before the court, stating that Jaspal Singh had joined the investigation; and call details of three mobile phones used by Jaspal Singh for the past five months too were obtained and were being examined.
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Amritsar, May 16
Ludhiana, May 16
Jalandhar, May 16
Abohar students’ model makes to national meet
Amritsar, May 16
Almost half of his winning margin came from Amritsar East, the Assembly segment represented by former MP Navjot Sidhu’s wife, Dr Navjot Kaur, and Amritsar West. The latter is represented by Joshi. Hence, it is clear that the Sidhu-Joshi factor played a major role in Jaitley’s defeat. 
Bathinda, May 16
Amritsar, May 16
Ludhiana, May 16
Chandigarh, May 16
Hoshiarpur, May 16
I admit there was a Modi wave which led to my defeat. I confess the result has come as a big shocker for me. I expected a close fight. But in the end, it turned out to be a one-sided affair. AAP has come of age in Punjab. We must acknowledge the emergence of AAP if the high number of votes polled by Chhotepur is any indication. Actually, AAP proved to be a game changer
Ferozepur, May 16
Ropar, May 16
Jalandhar, May 16
Faridkot, May 16
Fatehgarh Sahib, May 16
Ferozepur, May 16
