Nation / Sat, 13 Jul 2024 The Indian Express

In Jalandhar West prestige battle, Bhagwant Mann has last laugh as AAP pulls off big win after LS blow

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has clinched the high-stakes Jalandhar West Assembly bypoll, retaining the seat with a huge margin. It has come as a shot in the arm to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in the wake of the party’s poor performance in the recent Lok Sabha polls. The AAP had also won the Jalandhar West seat in the 2022 Assembly elections, when Sheetal Angural had contested it on the party’s ticket. However, in a remarkableturnaround, the AAP has now managed to sway voter sentiment in the Jalandhar West Assembly seat (SC-reserved) in just over a month. They were gung-ho after the Lok Sabha elections and were hoping that they were turning out to be an alternative to AAP.

The bypoll result saw AAP candidate Mahinder Bhagat trouncing the BJP’s Sheetal Angural by 37,325 votes. Bhagat got 55,246 votes as against Angural’s 17,921 votes and the Congress candidate Surinder Kaur’s 16,757 votes. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)’s Surjeet Kaur came fourth with just 1,242 votes. Bhagat remained ahead in all the 13 rounds of the counting of votes.

The AAP had also won the Jalandhar West seat in the 2022 Assembly elections, when Sheetal Angural had contested it on the party’s ticket. Angural however defected to the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, which necessitated the by-election. He contested this time on the BJP’s ticket.

The win has come as a breather for the AAP which has been reeling from various problems in the state. It is especially significant, given the AAP’s setback in the Lok Sabha elections, where it could win only three seats out of 13 as against the Congress’s seven seats. This was in sharp contrast to the party’s sweep in the 2022 Assembly polls, when it bagged 92 seats out of 117.

In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the AAP’s performance in the Jalandhar West Assembly segment of the Jalandhar parliamentary seat was below par, with party trailing behind the Congress and the BJP. The Lok Sabha seat was won by the Congress’s ex-CM Charanjit Singh Channi, who defeated the AAP turncoat and BJP candidate Sushil Kumar Rinku by over 1.75 lakh votes. However, in a remarkable

turnaround, the AAP has now managed to sway voter sentiment in the Jalandhar West Assembly seat (SC-reserved) in just over a month.

The dramatic shift in the AAP’s fortune could be largely attributed to CM Mann’s bid to lead from the front in its campaign for this bypoll. The CM’s extensive campaign strategy, his decision to relocate to Jalandhar West, setting up a rented residence and a dedicated office, demonstrated his personal commitment to the constituency.

He assured the voters in every speech that he would remain in Jalandhar for the long term, attend to their grievances weekly, and provide a schedule for his presence.

Observers say that Mann’s proactive approach in Jalandhar West is not just about clinching the bypoll but is also strategically aimed at strengthening the AAP’s foothold in the Majha and Doaba regions in preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections.

Adding to the campaign’s effectiveness was the active involvement of Mann’s family. His wife, Dr Gurpreet Kaur, and his sister Manpreet Kaur played a significant role in engaging with people from the Doaba and Majha regions, addressing their grievances and enhancing the AAP’s local presence.

Mann’s public addresses included his promises to address local issues such as education, health facilities, drinking water, sewage, and to make Mohinder Bhagat a minister.

His wife publicly acknowledged the mistake of the previous candidate selection in 2022. All senior Punjab ministers and AAP MPs also took part in the campaign.

The victory in the Jalandhar West not only restored the AAP’s hold in the belt but also underlined the efficacy of the party’s well-strategised, local campaign that overcame recent political setbacks. In the past six elections, the Jalandhar West has been won three times by the BJP, and twice each by Congress and the AAP.

After the Lok Sabha results, there had been a quiet demand within the AAP for a rejig at the party level as Mann has also been holding the position of the state party chief. The AAP’s national general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak also held parallel meetings of MLAs and other office bearers.

However, the AAP is now quick to take the line that when it comes to the people of the state, “they trust AAP the most”. Party spokesperson Neel Garg told The Indian Express, “It is clear from this by-election result that AAP is the most favoured party in Punjab. In Lok Sabha elections, people of Punjab wanted a change at Centre. They wanted to vote against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They voted for Congress. Where is the Congress now? You can see their vote share. They were gung-ho after the Lok Sabha elections and were hoping that they were turning out to be an alternative to AAP. Where are they now?”

Garg also said, “People see who talks about schools, clinics and their welfare. In the by-election, everyone, starting from CM to each volunteer of the party reached out to every voter. The people knew who were among them.”