Congress proved its mettle in Punjab after it wrested the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat from the saffron party with a thumping margin on Sunday.
Punjab state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, who lost in the Assembly polls six months ago, won this seat after defeating BJP candidate Swaran Salaria by a whopping margin of over 1.93 lakh votes.
The elections for the Gurdaspur seat were necessitated after the death of BJP MP Vinod Khanna in April this year. Vinod Khanna had won this seat four times until last general polls in 2014. This was a high stake election, for both Congress and the BJP.
The results proved that the Congress's overwhelming electoral supremacy after the Assembly polls was still intact. The AAP candidate retired Major General Suresh Khajuria, lost his security deposit. Jakhar maintained the lead in all nine Assembly segments in Gurdaspur. The Congress rejoiced in victory at various places in the state bursting crackers and distributing sweets. The results are also crucial ahead of the 2019 general elections.
The Congress had last won this seat in 2009 when former Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa defeated Vinod Khanna. Khanna’s wife Kavita was denied the party ticket by the BJP. Cash-rich businessman Salaria was picked up over Khanna’s wife, but to no avail.
Jakhar said, “The people have reaffirmed the faith in the leadership of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and the policies of the Congress. Salaria accused the state government of misusing official machinery to influence polls. A total of 7,587 voters opted for the None of the Above (NOTA) option.
Published 15 October 2017, 05:09 IST