‘Will work for welfare of all sections of society’

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, April 9

Rajinder Pal Kaur, 56, another first-timer of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), wrested control of the Ludhiana South Assembly segment, which was the stronghold of the Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) for the past 10 years.

“The people were fed up with the successive regimes and eager for change this time. We will meet the high expectations of the people and provide the best education and health facilities, besides providing the basic civic amenities and upgrading infrastructure,” the new MLA said.

Women, migrants in focus

I will work for the betterment of all sections of society, especially women and migrants. The focus is on providing the best education and health facilities, besides basic civic amenities. —Rajinder Pal Kaur, Ludhiana South MLA

Kaur gave the worst-ever drubbing to two-time LIP MLA Balvinder Singh Bains, 62, who along with all other 15 candidates, including the SAD heavyweight former Minister Hira Singh Gabria, 74, and the Congress nominee, lost their security deposits.

Kaur got 43,811 votes, constituting 41.56 per cent vote share, to defeat her nearest rival BJP candidate Satinderpal Singh Tajpuri by a margin of 26,138 votes.

The traditional parties — the Congress and the SAD —which had represented this seat seven and four times, respectively, since 1951, polled their lowest-ever vote share this time. Kaur, who contested her maiden election, is the first woman to represent this urban seat.

A graduate from Sidhwan College for women here in 1989, Kaur associated with the AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal since she had joined the anti-graft movement spearheaded by Anna Hazare from Jantar Mantar at New Delhi in 2011. Before joining politics as founder member of the AAP in Punjab in 2012 and having served as the state vice-president of the women wing of the party, Kaur served as the finance manager of a private company.Q