BJP marks its presence with lead in 2 segments

CHANDIGARH: Even as the BJP had to forfeit its security deposit in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll, the party which contested parliamentary polls for the first time without any alliance managed to make its mark.

The party not only managed to get a 15.91 % vote share, but it also successfully managed to take the lead in Jalandhar Central and Jalandhar North.

The two assembly segments were traditionally contested by BJP when it was in alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal in the state.

In the third traditionally contested segment, Jalandhar West, where the party was left leaderless after Mohinder Bhagwat, who had contested previous assembly polls unsuccessfully and had joined the AAP after the announcement of the polls, the BJP candidate managed to get 21,826 votes. Interestingly, it was also the home segment of the AAP candidate Sushil Rinku.

In the Jalandhar Cantonment segment, which comprises urban areas, the BJP managed to get more votes than the SAD-BSP alliance. Notably, this seat was traditionally contested by SAD when it was in alliance with the BJP and previous 2022 assembly polls, the party had got over 10,000 votes here.

This time the BJP candidate got 17,781 votes.

However, the party’s performance was a damp squib in five rural segments where it could cross the 10,000 vote mark in Nakodar.

In Phillaur and Adampur segments, BJP got mere 5,847 and 6,564 votes.

The BJP had picked an Akali turncoat Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal as its nominee keeping in view his Sikh credential and his ‘ Valmiki’ caste which has a significant presence in the rural areas. However, both these factors did not work in favour of the BJP

The internal churning within the party over the selection of Atwal who had joined the BJP just two days ahead of the announcement of polls may be another factor that pulled the party back.

The BJP had fought the bypoll with full vigour with at least seven Union ministers and other senior leaders campaigning.

Union information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur camped in the city for almost a week.

“We may have stood fourth, but it was the first Lok Sabha polls we were contesting on our own in Punjab. Our performance is better than SAD, who contested in alliance with the BSP. In rural areas as well, our presence and number of votes have increased as compared to 2022,” said Dr Subhash Sharma, state vice-president of the party.