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Journalism of Courage
Less than a week after the declaration of the Lok Sabha election results, the stage is set for another election — bypoll to Jalandhar West (SC) Assembly constituency. The bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of Sheetal Angural, who was elected on AAP ticket from the seat but resigned from the Assembly on March 28, a day after he and then-Jalandhar MP Sushil Rinku switched over to the BJP from AAP.
The fresh bypoll has come as a litmus test for the ruling AAP, which finds itself in an unenviable position after the recent Lok Sabha elections where it stood third in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency, a setback given its previous victory in the 2023 Lok Sabha bypoll. Congress candidate and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi emerged victorious from the seat and was also ahead in the Jalandhar West segment. The BJP, trailing closely behind, is now eyeing an opportunity to sway the balance of power. The winning Congress lacks a strong leader in this Assembly segment
As per the schedule announced by Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C, the notification for the bypoll will be issued on June 14 and the last date for filing nominations will be June 21. The papers will be scrutinised on June 24 while the last date for withdrawing nominations is June 26. The votes will be counted on July 13.
The CEO further said the Model Code of Conduct for the bypoll came into effect in Jalandhar West from Monday. The poll code will remain in force till the election process is completed. During the 2022 assembly polls, Angural defeated Rinku, who was the Congress candidate, from the Jalandhar West constituency.
On June 2, a day after Punjab voted in the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024, Angural had expressed a change of heart and requested the AAP to reconsider his membership. However, the party refused, stating that his resignation had already been accepted.
As per the results declared on June 4, Congress’s Channi got highest 44,394 votes from Jalandhar West Assembly segment followed by Rinku’s 42,837, while ruling AAP was at number three with 15,629 votes.
However, the Congress has faced its own challenges. The absence of a strong local leader loomed over the party since its Rinku, a former MLA had defected to AAP in 2023, only to later join the BJP. With Rinku’s departure, the Congress found itself scrambling to find a suitable candidate in this constituency.
The BJP, on the other hand, had options aplenty. It can nominate Rinku, who had contested the Lok Sabha election or Angural. Several new contenders are also eyeing the ticket and include Dr Sarbjit Singh, a professor at NIT.
As for AAP, they see a ray of hope in Pawan Kumar Tinu, their Lok Sabha candidate who had garnered significant support despite the party’s third-place finish.
SAD faced a debacle as its Lok Sabha candidate Mohinder Singh Kaypee, a former Congress MP and minister, got just 2,623 votes in this Assembly segment.
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