Counting of votes in the high-stakes Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll took place on Sunday, 15 October the voting to which took place on Wednesday. The bypoll is being viewed as a barometer for the popularity of the six-month-old Congress government in the state. The Gurdaspur seat fell vacant following the demise of actor-turned-politician Vinod Khanna of the BJP in April.
- Congress’ Sunil Jakhar wins Gurdaspur election by 1.9 lakh votes
- Congress gets 4,99,752 votes, BJP 3,06,533 and AAP 23,579
- Punjab CM Amarinder Singh hails Congress win as an indication of the party’s revival
- Other parties allege undemocratic win, say Govt machinery misused
- Polling for the Gurdaspur took place on Wednesday, 11 October
- Around 56 percent voter turn out was reported
Vinod Khanna's Wife Disappointed After BJP's Defeat
Late BJP MP Vinod Khanna's wife Kavita Khanna on Sunday, 15 October, expressed her disappointment over the bypoll results and said the party would introspect on the reasons of the defeat.
“I am very disappointed with the Gurdaspur LS bypoll result. I accept the outcome. The party will introspect on the reasons (of its defeat),” Kavita Khanna told PTI.
She congratulated Jakhar on his victory and said, “I am sure he, as an MP, will take care of the people of Gurdaspur seat irrespective of their political affiliations, the way Vinod Khanna ji used to do.”
Cong Misused Govt Machinery to Win Poll: SAD-BJP
The BJP-SAD alliance in Punjab today alleged that the ruling Congress party won the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha byelection by misusing the government machinery.
The Aam Aadmi Party, which finished a distant third, too, made similar allegations against the Congress. AAP nominee Maj Gen (retd) Suresh Khajuria accused the Congress party of using "undemocratic means" to win the by-election.
None of the parties, however, offered any evidence to support their allegations.
They won by misusing the machinery. Everyone knows that even the sarpanches owing allegiance to the BJP and the SAD were warned that they will be dealt with strictly if the two allies got a lead in their respective areas in the bypoll.Civic body officials, too, were warned.Punjab BJP secretary Vineet Joshi
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Prem Singh Chandumajra said: "It is not a victory of democracy, but it is victory of government machinery being misused."
"Win a Big Slap on the Face of Jija-Sala," Says Navjot Singh Sidhu
Punjab Cabinet Minister and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu today likened the Congress' victory in the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll to winning a Test cricket match by an innings and said it would have a demoralising effect on the BJP-SAD combine.
This win is a big slap on the face of jija- sala (Sukhbir Badal-Bikram Majithia). Today, the BJP will feel that the Akali Dal in Punjab, especially the jija-sala, have become a burden.Navjot Singh Sidhu
Sidhu, who switched over to Congress from the BJP just before the Punjab Assembly polls, also said, "We have sent a beautiful Diwali gift packed with red ribbon to our (Congress) would-be president Rahul Gandhi because it sets the tone... It will be a shot in the arm for the Congress.”
Congress on the Path of Revival: Punjab CM
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today hailed the Congress win in the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll as a "total rejection of the anti-people policies" of the BJP and its ally the SAD and said it underlines the "political annihilation" of the AAP.
He said that the Gurdaspur result has once again shown that the Congress is on the path of revival across the country and hailed it as a victory for the Congress and the party’s policies and development agenda.
The winning candidate Sunil Jakhar said that the Saffron party must read the writing on the wall.
Now, I think this (Gurdaspur win of Congress) will be the beginning of disintegration of SAD because nobody has seen Prakash Singh Badal for the last six months. The new leadership under Sukhbir Singh Badal is on the verge of disintegration. I think the entire SAD is going to be reformed under some new leadership, I believe.Sunil Jakhar