In Captain’s backyard, a repeat of assembly results
PAT I ALA: Amid rigging allegations, as the Congress swept the municipal corporation polls on Sunday, winning 59 of 60 wards, it was much a repeat of its success in the assembly polls held in February.
The results booted out the SAD-B JP that ruled the House for the past 10 years when it ruled the state too. In three wards, the Congress won unopposed as nomination papers of SAD-B JP candidates were rejected and A am A ad mi Party( A AP) had not filed papers anyway.
In the assembly polls, the Congress had won in all 60 wards( it was 50 wards then as de limitation was done afresh for civic polls). The party had even won at the booth level in Patiala Urban (32 wards and 154 polling booths) and Patiala Rural (26 wards and 110 booths).
Sanaur has two of the wards and 10 booths, but here Congress candidate H arin der Singh Harry Mann had lost to the SAD candidate. He, however, had led from two wards of the MC area. Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh had won from Patiala Urban; health minister Brahm M oh indra had won Pa ti ala Rural.
MOHINDRA ANCHORED STRATEGY
The CM did not participate in campaigning for these polls. He had deputed Brahm Mohindra to camp in Patiala and anchor the party’s strategy. Mohindra and former Union minister Preneet Kaur had campaigned in MC areas for party candidates.
The top leadership of the SAD also stayed away from campaigning. State president of the BJP Vijay Sampla and the party’s Punjabaffairs in-charge Parbhat Jha campaigned, but failed to evoke a positive response from voters. The SAD-BJP combine also suffered a setback with the former mayor and senior deputy mayor not contesting.
For the AAP, state unit president B hag want Mann and leader of opposition Sukhpal Khaira campaigned, but could not make any headway. Some of its candidates could not even get 100 votes in certain wards.
“The polls were a farce as the Congress won by booth-capturing. I will take up the issue in the Lok Sabha,” said SAD MP Prem Singh Chandumajra. The Congress, however, has rejected the charges of rigging.
“The SAD-BJP must elaborate if they had any booth that they led on in assembly elections that the Election Commission of India had conducted. The SAD-BJP had won the last two polls by cap turing booths,” Mohindra said .“People have punished the SAD-B JP for its stepmotherly treatment to the royal city. People have voted for the Congress with a desire for development and it is a vote for Captain Am arin der Sing h’ s leadership ,” the minister added.
Later, winners reached New Mo ti Bag hP al ace to meet P rene et Kaur, who thanked voters.
The party also won the nagar panchayat elections in Ghagga and Ghanaur in Patiala district and Amloh in Fatehgarh Sahib. The elections remained largely peaceful, except a minor clash in Ghagga. Also, Mohinder Singh, 70, died due to a heart attack, while he was standing in queue.
A APLOSES IN MANN’S AREA
The results have been a defeat for the AAP, in the area of Sangrur MP and party’s state president Bhagwant Mann. Here, 12 independents and a Congress candidate were declared elected.
“We got mixed response but we have a number of independent candidates in Cheema,” AAP state co-chief Aman Arora said.