JOIN USCongress candidate Hardev Singh Ladi on Thursday won the Shahkot Assembly seat in Punjab defeating his nearest rival, Shiromani Akali Dal's (SAD) Naib Singh Kohar, with a huge margin of 38,801 votes.
The seat was earlier with the Akali Dal. Ladi secured 82,745 votes, while Kohar got 43,944 votes. The Shahkot seat was considered a traditional SAD bastion.
Former minister and SAD leader, the late Ajit Singh Kohar, Naib's father, had won the seat five times. The AAP performed badly in the triangular contest with its candidate Rattan Singh bagging just 1,900 votes.
The SAD has accused the ruling party of misusing official machinery to win the by-poll. With Thursday’s victory, the Congress tally in the 117-member Vidhan Sabha has now gone up to 78.