Ludhiana North will see new era of growth: MLA Madan Lal Bagga

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, April 15

Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Madan Lal Bagga has not only breached the Congress citadel Ludhiana North but also routed its senior-most five-time MLA Rakesh Pandey, who finished third, in the recent Assembly elections.

To follow Delhi model

Fed up with traditional parties that ruled Punjab for decades, people voted for us this time. They are inspired by the work done by the AAP government in Delhi, which we will replicate in Punjab. — Madan Lal Bagga, Ludhiana North

Bagga, 62, trounced the BJP (BJP) candidate Parveen Bansal, 56, by a margin of 15,282 votes in this urban seat. Bagga polled 51,104 votes, which accounted for 40.59 per cent of the total polled votes.

“We will bring an end to the misrule of the successive traditional parties and usher in a new era of development and welfare,” the new MLA said, while adding, “Fed up with traditional parties that had ruled Punjab for decades, people voted for us. They are inspired by the work done by the AAP government in Delhi, which we will replicate in Punjab.

Bagga joined politics in 1982 and contested his maiden civic election in 1997, which he won as an Independent councillor. He was re-elected as the Congress candidate in 2002. He unsuccessfully contested the 2007 Assembly elections from Ludhiana North as a rebel Congress nominee, following which he joined the SAD.

An under-matriculate, Bagga was considered a close aide of the Badals during his stint in the SAD. He remained a member of the SAD PAC and senior vice-president of the trade and industry wing of the party. He also served as the vice-chairman of the Punjab Board of Commerce, with a status of Minister of State in the previous SAD-BJP government, besides remaining the president of SAD Ludhiana (urban) unit.

He had also unsuccessfully contested the last Vidhan Sabha elections as an Independent from Ludhiana North after being denied the SAD ticket, following which he was expelled from the party but was later inducted.

A commission agent in the wholesale fruit market besides dealing in agriculture and dairy business, he again quit the SAD to join the AAP in July last. A two-time councillor, Bagga was appointed AAP’s constituency in-charge for Ludhiana North.