'Small supporter' of Kejriwal beats Bedi by 2,000 votes, takes potshots after re

People do not vote for candidates who are airdropped into a constituency just prior to elections, said S K Bagga, Aam Aadmi Party’s giant slayer after defeating BJP’s Kiran Bedi from Krishna Nagar constituency.

“She arrived in the constituency suddenly one day and made a few trips in the area by a car. You cannot just simply throw a candidate from outside. That never works,” Bagga told Deccan Herald after winning by 2,277 votes.

Taking more potshots at his opponent, the 61-year-old legislator said he dreaded to think of Bedi’s fate if she had contested from New Delhi constituency against Arvind Kejriwal.

“If a small supporter of Kejriwal could beat her by 2,000 votes, I am sure she would have lost her deposit had she contested against Kejriwal,” he  said.

The Krishna Nagar constituency was considered the safest seat for the BJP with Dr Harsh Vardhan winning the seat in all the previous five terms from the area.

Bagga refused to speculate if the alleged infighting within the BJP on Bedi’s chief ministerial candidature led to her defeat. “I never thought about the other candidates from the area. I knew from the start that I was going to win,” he said.
The first-time legislator said people trusted him as he was a local.

“I am a resident of the area and know the issues. People here know me by my name. For the last two months, I spent 15 to 20 hours every day among the voters. They called me again and again to their localities to highlight their problems. They said the area has been ignored,” he said.

He said that during campaigning, people praised the work done by AAP during its 49-day term.

“The Narendra Modi government did not do anything during their eight months in power. We did what we promised whereas the BJP says something and does something else,” he said. On Modi factor having no influence in Delhi, he said “there is no Modi wave anywhere anymore”.

He ridiculed Congress party’s fate in the elections saying the party could have got minus seats if it was possible.

His priorities for the constituency would be better supply of water and electricity, good roads, health centres and good sewer in the localities.