Jalandhar LS bypoll 2023: All set for four-cornered contest in key Dalit bastion | Know candidates and deciding factor
Jalandhar LS bypoll 2023: The stage is all set for the four-cornered electoral battle in the key Dalit bastion, where the Lok Sabha bypoll 2023 are scheduled for May 10. The campaigning came to an end on Monday.
The May 10 Jalandhar LS bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting Congress MP Santokh Singh due to a heart attack in January. There are a total of 16,21,800 voters, comprising 8,44,904 males and 7,76,855 females and 41 transgenders, in the constituency. The polling will take place from 8 am to 6 pm on May 10, while the counting of votes will be held on May 13.
There are nine segment in the constituency: Phillaur, Nakodar, Shahkot, Kartarpur, Jalandhar West, Jalandhar Central, Jalandhar North, Jalandhar Cantt and Adampur.
Know the candidates
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded Sushil Kumar Rinku. The Congress has given party ticket to Santokh’s wife Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary. The SAD-BSP has fielded Banga MLA Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi while the BJP has chosen Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, a Sikh-Dalit face.
Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary (Congress)
Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi (SAD-BSP)
Sushil Kumar Rinku (AAP)
Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal (BJP)
Campaigning focused on Dalit issues
The focus of the campaigning remained on issues of the Dalit community. In Punjab, Dalits constitute 32 per cent of the population, which is the highest among all states. However, in Doaba, Dalits account for 45 per cent of the population.
From the Congress, senior leaders such as former CM Charanjit Singh Channi, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa, PPCC chief Raja Warring and Navjot Singh Sidhu campaigned for their candidate Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary.
The BJP's roadshow was led by state party chief Ashwani Sharma. The focus of the SAD and its ally BSP remained on rural segments. Sukhbir Singh Badal campaigned in Shahkot, Nakodar and Kartarpur areas and went for a door-to-door campaigning in other parts of the constituency.
The results of 2019 LS poll
The 2019 Lok Sabha election was won by the Congress, which was polled 3.85 lakh votes. The SAD which was in alliance with the BJP finished second with 3.66 lakh votes. The BSP was polled 2.04 lakh votes while the Aam Aadmi Party had got 25,467 votes.
Bypoll a test of AAP's one year performance in Punjab?
The Aam Aadmi Party, which is in power at present, faces a tough battle ahead, especially in the wake of its defeat in the Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll in June 2022. The people of the state voted the AAP to power in Punjab with a thumping majority, but all its efforts fell flat when it lost the Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll three months after coming to power.
The AAP also faces a tough challenge considering the current law and order situation in the state. The Jalandhar LS bypoll 2023 would will also be the test of the party's one-year performance in the state.
Coming to the Congress, the party is currently facing "tough times", especially when many of its former Cabinet ministers and MLAs are in the vigilance net over graft charges and for disproportionate assets during their tenure from 2017 to 2022.
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau had arrested Sunder Sham Arora, Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets.
The SAD-BSP combine seems to be making all efforts for its "revival". The BJP had last contested the elections as SAD-BJP combine and had finished second with 3.66 lakh votes. However, it would be the BJP's maiden independent parliamentary election in Punjab.
- PTC NEWS
