In 2022, Malwa reversed trend of not backing winning party to the hilt

Through AAP won big in all three region, Malwa gave an overwhelming majority to the party this time.

But besides the decisive vote that helped AAP form the government, Malwa stayed important this time as it elected 8 women, five doctors, sent richest MLA (Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh with assets of 238 crore) and the youngest (27-year-old Narinder Kaur Bharaj) to the Assembly. Bharaj, the Sangrur MLA, has assets of only Rs 24,409.

Most of all, CM Bhagwant Mann comes from the region (Dhuri Assembly seat), and the region is also the place where SAD big guns – party patriarch Parkash Singh Badal (Lambi seat) and party president Sukhbir Singh Badal (Jalalabad seat) – lost to AAP candidates.

Not only this, former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal — another Badal, was also defeated by a first-time MLA Jagroop Singh Gill.

Among the major candidates who bit the dust in Malwa, were former CM Charanjit Singh Channi, who lost from both seats – Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur. Another former CM, Amarinder Singh, lost from the region’s Patiala seat.

The maximum winning margin of any candidate in the recently concluded Assembly poll was also from Malwa – AAP MLA Aman Arora defeated Congress’s Jaswinder Singh Dhiman by a record margin of 75,277 votes. But there were also several seats that saw a tight contest. Manpreet Singh Ayali of SAD won from Dakha by a margin of 5,807 votes, while Congress’s Amarinder Raja Warring won from Gidderbaha by 1,349 votes. Above all, out of 66 AAP MLAs from Malwa, 32 are first-timers.

Interestingly, Malwa ignored star-power as it picked first-timers over the ones like Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu Moosewala and actor Sonu Sood’s sister, Malvika Sood Sachar.

Malvika lost from Moga by 20,915 votes to Amandeep Kaur Arora and Moosewala lost to Vijay Singla by 63,323 votes from Mansa. Both winners are from AAP.

Previous Polls

In 2017, Congress won the Punjab elections after getting 77 out of 117 seats. However, out of 69 seats of Malwa, ruling Congress could get 40 seats which was 57.9 per cent of the total seats in the region. Compared to this, Majha gave 22 out of 25 seats to the winning party Congress which was 88% and Doaba gave 15 out of 23 seats to Congress (65.22%).

During the 2012 polls when SAD-BJP retained their government after 5 years winning 68 seats, they had won 36 out of 69 Malwa seats (52.17%). In Majha, the alliance had got 16 seats which was 68% seat share and Doaba gave the 16 seats (69.56% seat share).

Till 2007, there were 65 seats in Malwa, 27 in Majha and 25 in Doaba before delimitation changed the seat distribution in 2012.

In 2007 Assembly polls, SAD-BJP had ousted Congress by winning 68 seats, but the alliance could win only 24 out of 65 seats of Malwa which was 36.92% seat share, while opposition Congress got 37 seats from Malwa to sit in opposition. Majha gave a landslide victory to SAD-BJP alliance back then where they won 24 out of 27 seats (88.88% seat share). In Doaba too, the alliance then had got 21 out of 25 seats and thus taking 84% seat share. Four out of five Independents were also elected from Malwa in 2007.

Congress had formed the government in 2002 by winning 62 seats. The ruling party had got 29 out of 65 seats from Malwa in that year compared to SAD-BJP alliance which had got 28. This region had elected two CPI MLAs in the same year and 6 Independents too. Majha, comparatively, had elected 17 out of 27 Congress MLAs in 2002, while Doaba gave 16 Congress MLAs out of 25 seats which was 62.96% and 64% seat share, respectively to the ruling party.

“Badlaav slogan was the loudest in Malwa and moreover AAP made its entry through Malwa in 2014 when party got four MPs in Lok Sabha from Sangrur, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala (all in Malwa Punjab) and later 18 seats in 2017 Vidhan Sabha came from here.” said Gurpreet Singh Bhuchar, an AAP supporter from Mansa who also went to Khatkar Kalan to be part of Mann’s oath taking ceremony.