Cong takes solace in lead in wards with ‘educated’ voters

“They paid Rs 5000 per vote to weaker sections staying in outer parts of the town. For a family of five to six people,it is big money. Akalis told them not to come out to vote. These areas saw just 35 to 45 per cent polling. The polling percentage of women too was low and most of them came out only by 4 pm after rains subsided,” he said.

Incidentally,in the 2012 assembly polls,the Congress had trailed by 8,000 votes in villages but recovered in urban Moga to clinch the seat by over 4,000 votes. The lead garnered by Jain in villages this time was 14,000 votes and his victory margin of 19,000 votes is better than his own last two wins.

According to senior Congress leader Jagmeet Brar,the party expected to poll 40 per cent votes in rural and 60 per cent in urban parts of the constituency. “But we got less than 35 per cent votes in villages and around 50 per cent in urban Moga,” he said.

The Moga bypoll verdict on Thursday evoked some similar sentiments and some contradictions from state Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh and senior leader Jagmeet Brar who spearheaded the poll campaign. Both said chances of victory in a bypoll are loaded in favour of the ruling party. “And the ruling party in question in Punjab has mastered the art of managing polls through power,police and money.”

Describing it as sad day for Indian democracy,Amarinder said the verdict was manipulated and manufactured by Akalis by blatant abuse of money,muscle,police and official power. “They used police and government officials from Excise and Taxation department against traders to force them into submission. Even Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal,a self-proclaimed soft-spoken gentleman,threatened people that if they wanted development they should vote for the Akali Dal,” he added.

Brar said Congress now knows how SAD president Sukhbir Badal micro-managed the bypoll. “He appointed one leader and official per 50 votes. They did everything from intimidation to distributing cash and liquor. The Punjab Police was their buffer. If Indian democracy is to be saved,we have to usher in poll reforms,” he added.

The two leaders,however,differed over the reasons for the defeat. While Amarinder said the morale of the party was high and it was strong organisationally,Brar said the party needs to address its own weaknesses. “Our organisational structure is weak. We have not been able to add new workers in the last many years,” Brar said.

Also while Amarinder said the bypoll’s outcome was no reflector of the popularity of the government “when entire ministry and official machinery was concentrating on the single constituency”,Brar said the Congress will have to match the poll management,work force and cadre strength of regional parties to be able to compete with them.

“We will have to go for booth-level management. There were more than 200 Akali workers on the day of polling at every booth. I made this suggestion at the Jaipur Chintin Shivir and hopefully the party will address this problem. It is not the verdict of people but verdict on how to win elections by manipulation,” he added.