Jalandhar West Bypoll: 6 leaders switch sides in a week

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Jalandhar, July 4

Ahead of the Jalandhar West bypoll, six leaders switched their parties in the past seven days. Since the announcement of the Jalandhar West bypoll, it has become a common phenomenon in the city.

Those who switched the parties include Jagdish Samrai, Onkar Tikka, Kamaljit Singh Bhatia, Surjit Kaur and two former Congress councillors.

Jagdish Samrai left the BJP and joined AAP, Onkar left the Congress and joined AAP and Kamaljit quit the BJP and joined AAP. SAD’s Surjit Kaur went back to the Akali fold within hours after she joined AAP.

This definitely has not gone down well with the voters. “We do not trust leaders anymore. We don’t have any options and will have to choose from them only,” said a Danish Manda resident.

Considered Congress loyalist, Jagdish Samrai, a former councillor from Ward No. 78 who joined the BJP recently, joined the AAP three days ago. Samrai changed the party within a month.

It came as a major jolt to the Congress as Samrai had been actively working for Charanjit Singh Channi.

“There is no discipline left in the party which forced me to leave it and join the BJP,” Jagdish Samrai had earlier said. With hardly nine councillors left, it had become a difficult task for the Congress to gain strength at the ground level.

Those who Changed loyalties

The leaders who switched the parties include Jagdish Samrai, Onkar Tikka, Kamaljit Singh Bhatia, Surjit Kaur and two former Congress councillors. Jagdish Samrai quit the BJP and joined AAP, Onkar left the Congress and joined AAP and Kamaljit quit the BJP and joined AAP. SAD’s Surjit Kaur went back to the Akali fold within hours after she joined AAP.