Jalandhar bypoll 2023: After Sangrur debacle, 'poached' Congress leader Sushil Rinku wins battle of prestige as AAP candidate
PTC Web Desk: With a thumping win of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Sushil Kumar Rinku in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha byelections 2023, the party has now made its presence felt in the Lok Sabha. It was indeed a battle of prestige for the party following the debacle in the Sangrur bypoll last year.
After the win of the AAP candidate, PPCC chief Raja Warring said, "We humbly accept people's mandate". It has indeed come out to be an embarrassing situation for the Congress, which had been occupying the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat since 1999.
The seat fell vacant after the demise of sitting Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary, who dies of a heart attack. The party then decided to field Santokh Chaudhary's widow Karamjit Kaur as the candidate, which was also being seen as a "sympathy factor".
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In the Assembly elections 2022, the AAP had taken everyone by surprise when it won by an impressive margin. Although the government saw much backlash amid "deteriorating law and order", free power subsidy, aggressive campaigning and jobs in the govt sector seemed to be the major factors behind its win in the state again.
Notwithstanding video leak and complaint of alleged sexual misconduct against Punjab Cabinet Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, Latifpura incident in Jalandhar low-intensity three blasts in Amritsar and the case of alleged high-handedness by the Punjab Police in the arrest of national TV journalist, the AAP managed to win the Jalandhar LS byelections 2023.
On the other hand, after the AAP had suffered a major setback in 2022 when SAD (Amritsar)'s Simranjit Singh Mann won the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat after defeating his nearest rival, AAP's Gurmail Singh, by a slender margin, the Jalandhar bypoll was indeed crucial for the party as well as was a battle of prestige.
Bhagwant Mann had represented Sangrur seat twice — in 2014 and 2019. However, he vacated the seat after winning the Assembly election from Dhuri in February 2022.
Now, it is to be seen if the AAP could manage to put up an impressive show in the local body polls, which would be held soon.
Battle of prestige
The Jalandhar LS byelections 2023 was indeed a battle of prestige for the ruling party. Having suffered a setback in the Sangrur bypoll, the AAP charted out a comprehensive plan and sent almost all party MLAs and ministers to Jalandhar in view of the bypoll.
Each MLA being was made in charge of 10 villages in his/her constituency. The ruling party also roped in councillors and village panches and sarpanches to mobilise the voters.
- PTC NEWS
