In his statement, Capt Amarinder Singh had said, “the counting of votes marks the conclusion of the electoral festival of democracy and we are confident of outstanding results”…reports Asian Lite News
In a major embarrassment for two-time Punjab Chief Minister and Congress rebel Capt Amarinder Singh and former Congress CM, Charanjit Singh Channi have lost.
Amarinder Singh faced a humiliating defeat from AAP’s greenhorn Ajit Pal Kohli with over 13,000 votes on Thursday from his stronghold Patiala (Urban), the seat that he has won for four consecutive terms since 2002 when he first contested.
The former’s fledgling Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) was contesting the polls in alliance with the BJP and SAD (Sanyukt), an Akali Dal rebel.
In the Congress-ruled state, Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP is heading for a landslide win, with the Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP far behind.
A day ahead of the counting of votes, Capt Amarinder Singh exuded full confidence, saying he expected positive verdict by the people of Punjab in favour of his party Punjab Lok Congress and the alliance partners, including the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiromani Akali Dal-Samyukt.
In his statement, Capt Amarinder Singh had said, “the counting of votes marks the conclusion of the electoral festival of democracy and we are confident of outstanding results”.
Capt Amarinder Singh said people of Punjab had understood the importance of a “double-engine” government in Punjab which will watch and safeguard the national interest and help in reviving Punjab’s economy. “Promising days are ahead for Punjab”, he had remarked.
In 2017, Capt Amarinder Singh, now 80, polled 72,217 votes against nearest rival Balbir Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party, who got just 19,852. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate and former Army chief Gen J.J. Singh (retd) got just 11,613 votes. Gen Singh is now with the BJP.
Channi loses to Channi
Meanwhile, Channi lost from both the constituencies he contested from – Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur. AAP candidate Charanjit Singh won Chamkaur Sahib, while the party’s Labh Singh Ugoke won from Bhadaur seat.
The Congress has been a divided house for more than a year in the run-up to the polls. Its internal rivalries, including the battle between former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Sidhu, had dominated headlines.