Jalandhar: The results of the Block Samiti and Zila Parishad elections have shown a harsh reality to the Congress MLAs of Doaba, who were under the impression that they would easily win in their respective assembly constituencies. While most of the party’s MLAs and constituency in-charges believe that the elections were hijacked by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and were not conducted fairly, from the filing of nomination papers to the counting centers, grassroots workers want them to do some introspection. Among the party MLAs who are considered to have underperformed in their respective areas are Pargat Singh from Jalandhar Cantt, Vikramjit Chaudhary from Phillaur, Sukhwinder Kotli from Adampur, and Balwinder Dhaliwal from Phagwara.
Pargat’s candidates won five out of 15 seats, with the rest going to the AAP. A party insider said, “The MLA probably took the elections too lightly, but now he needs to work harder on the ground.” In Phillaur, the confusion among Congress workers about whether to support MLA Vikramjit Chaudhary or MP Charanjit S Channi proved costly for the party. The party could only win five out of 35 Block Samitis here, while the BSP gained significantly with 11 seats. In the 40 Block Samiti zones of Adampur and Bhogpur blocks, the Congress could only win five seats in each. The AAP won 18 seats in Adampur and eight in Bhogpur. Congress MLA Kotli said, “The counting process was not fair. Our counting agents alleged that there was a lot of rigging. The administration sided with the ruling party.”
The outspoken MLA from Bholath, Sukhpal Khaira, also lagged behind the AAP by a narrow margin, but he fought till the last moment against the alleged atrocities. In the Nadala block of Bholath, the papers of three out of 22 Congress candidates were rejected. Out of the remaining 19, the party could only win nine seats. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won in 13 zones. Khaira said, “The entire top leadership of the AAP was conspiring against me. They tried to intimidate my candidates and workers by filing FIRs against them. We had to fight at every step.” One of the reasons cited for the Congress party’s defeat in Bholath is the weakening of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in that area. Former Akali minister Jagir Kaur could not even field a single candidate. The weakened SAD benefited the AAP, but it proved detrimental to Khaira. However, the Congress performed well in Shahkot, Nawanshahr, Kapurthala, and Nakodar.
Jalandhar: After the setback in the rural elections, Doaba Congress MLAs will have to face a reality check.
