In multi-cornered battle in Punjab, Congress wins two seats, leads on four

Chandigarh, June 4 (IANS) In a fierce multi-cornered electoral battle without any alliance in AAP-ruled Punjab, the main Opposition Congress party on Tuesday won two seats — Jalandhar and Fatehgarh Sahib – and was leading on four.

The Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD) candidate Harsimrat Kaur, wife of party’president Sukhbir Badal, retained the politically significant Bathinda seat, also known as the state’s cotton belt, for the fourth consecutive term.

The AAP claimed victory in the Sangrur seat. Its second-time legislator Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer won the seat after defeating his nearest rival and Congress party’s Sukhpal Singh Khaira by 172,560 votes.

Two Independent candidates have been consistently leading since the first round. They are jailed Sikh radical Amritpal Singh, head of ‘Waris Punjab De’ who is locked up in an Assam jail under the National Security Act, and who is contesting from Khadoor Sahib, while Sarabjit Singh, the son of one of the assassins of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who is in the fray from Faridkot (reserved). They evoked a “radical” wave.

The Congress has been leading on the Amritsar, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur and Patiala seats, and the AAP from Hoshiarpur and Anandpur Sahib seats, the trends showed.

Congress leader and former chief minister Charanjit Channi won by a margin of 1,75,993 votes from Jalandhar, defeating the BJP’s Sushil Rinku.

AAP nominee Pawan Kumar Tinu remained at the third spot with 2.08 lakh votes, while Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Mohinder Singh Kaypee got 67,911 votes.

Congress’ Amar Singh won the Fatehgarh seat by defeating AAP’s Gurpreet Singh GP with a margin of 34,202 votes, according to the Election Commission.

–IANS

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