Shahkot Bye-Election Result 2018: Congress wrests Akali bastion after 21 years

Shahkot Bye-Election Result 2018: Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia poses along with PPCC president Sunil Jakhar, Sidhu and Rana Gurjit on Thursday.

The Congress registered an impressive win in the bypolls to Shahkot assembly seat with its candidate Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia defeating Shiromani Akali Dal’s Naib Singh Kohar by a margin of 38,801 votes. Laddi polled 82,745 votes while Kohar got 43,944 votes in the bypolls held on Monday.

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SAD had been representing this seat since 1997 and the party had won from here in the last Assembly elections in 2017 when the Congress had swept the polls winning 77 of the 117 seats in the state assembly.

Bye-Election Results 2018: The elections to the Lok Saha seats and the Assembly seats were held on Monday. (Express Photo)

“I am thankful to Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh for trusting me despite all odds and all other senior party leaders including PPCC president Sunil Jakhar and my ‘political guru’ former minister and Congress MLA Rana Gurjit Singh,” said Laddi after the results were announced.

Congress candidate Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia flashes a victory sign on Thursday (Express Photo)

Reacting to the loss, SAD candidate Naib Singh Kohar said that the government had tampered with EVMs which led Congress candidate to win this seat.