Jalandhar bypoll counting begins, candidates keep fingers crossed

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, July 13

Vote count for Punjab’s lone Assembly constituency — Jalandhar West — began on Saturday, with 15 candidates in the fray for a multi-cornered contest largely among the state-ruling AAP, the Congress, and the BJP.

Polling was held on Wednesday and saw 54.98 per cent turnout.

With the counting of votes for the Jalandhar West bypoll, the candidates of AAP, the Congress and the BJP are keeping their fingers crossed.

The AAP leadership has expressed confidence that the party will win the bypoll, while the Congress and the BJP leadership today said even if AAP won, it would be a moral defeat for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Jalandhar MP and former CM Charanjit Channi said, “We were doing pretty well in the campaign but in the last two-three days, AAP leaders did all in a bid to turn the tables. They offered all sorts of freebies and allurements. They misused the government machinery. They even used pressure against BJP candidate Sheetal Angural to prevent him from releasing audio proof regarding corruption. Police personnel were deployed in civvies to terrorise people. It is for this reason that more than 16,000 voters, most of whom were our supporters, did not turn up at polling stations to cast their vote.” PCC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said, “We have given Mann a tough fight. ”

State BJP chief Sunil Jakhar said, “Even if AAP wins, it will still be a moral defeat for the CM. He did nothing for Jalandahr and hence he had to deploy all his might in this Assembly segment for three weeks. CMs usually make a guest appearance in a bypoll, but Mann had to remain in Jalandhar for 17-18 days. Will he camp the same way in the remaining four byelections and keep a house there too?”

AAP spokesperson Jagtar S Sanghera said, “People will give a decision in our favour tomorrow. Our former MLA had done no work here and Mann had to streamline things. Jalandhar people loved the way Mann and his family mingled with them and spent so much time with them. Our party campaigned in a balanced manner. Rivals are launching attacks for they know they are losing.”