Despite fielding a parachute candidate, former Congress MLA Sushil Rinku, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat in the recent by-election held on May 10. In the four-cornered contest, the main fight was between the ruling AAP and opposition Congress, which had fielded Karamjit Kaur, wife of former MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary, whose demise in January this year necessitated the bye-elections. Here are the five main reasons behind AAP’s victory. The AAP government won the Assembly elections in Punjab in March 2022, and there are still four years left before the state goes to the assembly poll again. This gives the AAP an advantage, as people still have hope that the AAP government will perform. Also, the AAP government pulled out all the stops to woo the locals in the runup to the bypolls, announcing projects for various sections. National convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann campaigned extensively in Jalandhar, appealing to voters that it’s been only one year since the AAP government was formed, and that they should be given 11 more months before the next Lok Sabha elections in 2024. CM Bhagwant Mann also reminded the voters that if the AAP candidate wins, he will be the party’s first MP in the Lok Sabha. This struck an emotional chord with voters, who also said that they would wait and see if the AAP fulfills its promises before the next elections. During the campaign, the AAP government highlighted its initiatives such as zero power bills and Aam Aadmi clinics. People were very happy with the government's free power step. The government also highlighted how 28,000 people have been given appointment letters. AAP candidate Sukshil Rinku enjoys a good support base in the Dalit community and stands up for them even on trivial matters. This mattered a lot because Jalandhar has around 42% Dalit population. Kejriwal hinted that if their candidate won, there would be unprecedented development in Jalandhar, otherwise only “Tu Tu, Mein Mein”. Several allegations were leveled against the AAP that they have intimidated the Sarpanches at the village level and threatened them with dire consequences if they don’t ensure their village’s votes for the AAP candidate.
