Congress candidate wins Ward No. 15 bypoll in Malout

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Malout, February 24

The Congress won the bypoll to Ward No. 15 here today.

Congress candidate Nar Singh Rinku, a first-timer, bagged 1,188 votes while SAD candidate Rajpal Singh, an ex-councillor, got 376 votes and BJP candidate Sheela Devi got just 145 votes.

A total of 13 voters voted none of the above (NOTA). An 81.5 per cent turnout was recorded in the bypoll. Of the total 2,113 voters, 1,722 cast their votes.

Besides minor skirmishes near the polling station, no major untoward incident was reported. However, a large number of cops, including women police personnel, were deployed in and around the polling station.

Some SAD leaders led by former MLA Harpreet Singh accused the police of favouring Congressmen. Some voters alleged that their votes were polled by someone else and they failed to exercise their franchise.

However, the BJP preferred to keep mum over the issue.

The seat had fallen vacant after the demise of councillor Gopi Ram. He had won the poll as an Independent candidate and later, he joined the BJP. The BJP fielded Gopi’s daughter-in-law Sheela Devi in the bypoll.

Some liquor shop found open

Despite ban, some liquor shops were found to be open. Liquor vendors were running their business by partially opening the shutters.

SAD, BJP candidates contest separately 

Both the BJP and SAD contested the bypoll against each other. Though some meetings of leaders of both parties were held, they had fielded their own candidates, who even contested the bypoll on the symbols of their parties. Apart from some other factors, this is also being considered as a major reason behind their defeat.