Behind bypoll loss, low turnout due to ‘intimidation’ by AAP machinery: Warring

“Records were taken from our sarpanchs (supporting the Congress) and they were intimidated… We lost because (a section of) our voters, out of fear, did not come to cast their votes,” Warring told reporters Sunday.

The AAP on Saturday breached the Congress stronghold in Punjab with Sushil Kumar Rinku defeating Karamjit Kaur by 58,691 votes. The Congress had not lost the Jalandhar parliamentary seat since 1999.

The bypoll recorded a 54.70 per cent voter turnout, well below the 63.04 per cent recorded in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Taking a dig at the AAP, Warring said, “They put all their machinery into service but still got 15,000 fewer votes than last time. A year ago, they got about 3.17 lakh votes from Jalandhar whereas they polled around 3.02 lakh this time.”

Warring was referring to the aggregate of votes the AAP secured in the 2022 elections from nine assembly segments that form the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat.

He added that he was not running away from responsibility for defeat in the bypoll as the party’s state unit chief and said, at the same time, there was not much for the AAP to boast about.

“(Delhi Chief Minister) Arvind Kejriwal and (Punjab Chief Minister) Bhagwant Mann said they won the bypoll and that the people have given them a big mandate and (that) the people of Punjab have put a stamp on their work. But when the AAP had lost the Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll last year within three months of coming to power in Punjab, why did they not say they lost because people were disillusioned with them and they lost because of various shortcomings?” Warring asked.

The AAP should also look at its performance in Karnataka where the party, which recently received ‘national’ status, could secure only 0.58 per cent of the votes polled, the Congress leader said.

“Earlier, in the Himachal Pradesh assembly polls, they lost deposits and faced a crushing defeat,” he added.

The area where Mann held a roadshow in Karnataka, the “AAP secured only 384 votes”, Warring claimed. “And they are saying they have inflicted a big defeat on the Congress in Jalandhar where they pressed all their machinery into service,” he said.

Warring also alleged that the AAP dispensation has fulfilled only one major electoral promise — that of providing free power — since assuming power last year.

Meanwhile, addressing media at her residence in Jalandhar, Karamjit Kaur said the party will introspect and improve upon the shortcomings of campaign and will bounce back strongly next year, adding that she will continue to serve the people of Jalandhar, raising their voice on the all the platforms.

She was accompanied by her son and Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary and Jalandhar (Urban) district Congress president Rajinder Beri,
Vikramjit said the AAP’s victory “is a murder of democracy in cold blood”, as “during the by-election, it purchased the votes through money, liquor and terror”.

He said the AAP leaders claim that they are “kattar imaandar”, but “to win this election, they misused government machinery, put pressure on voters though every department, and threatened the Congress councillors, sarpanches and panchayats with false cases and enquiries, if they did not support the AAP”. He said, “This election was fought not by AAP, but by the entire government.

Throughout the campaign, the AAP government threatened the Congress leaders and voters. Before the polling, they distributed liquor and money”.

“I assure every Congress worker who has been targeted, threatened and tortured by the AAP government during this election campaign that the Chaudhary family and the party stand steadfastly with them,” he said.

Taking a jibe, he said Jalandhar already has three MPs of AAP in Rajya Sabha and asked if Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann could enlighten people about their contributions for the development of Jalandhar in the last one year.