In Jalandhar, Congress trumps BJP

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 17

The Congress swept the civic body elections in the district by winning 114 out of 145 seats.

The ruling party drubbed Opposition in the first “trial of strength” after the Assembly elections earlier this year by winning 65 out of 80 seats of the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation, recording a poll percentage of 82.5. 

The BJP was reduced to a mere eight seats, while the SAD managed to bag only five seats. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), contesting local body polls for the first time, failed to open its account.

Outgoing Mayor Sunil Jyoti of the BJP could not retain his seat as he lost from ward number 16.

As for Municipal Committees, the Congress 12 wards in Shahkot, 10 each in Goraya and Phillaur, and eight each in Bilga and Bhogpur. The five Municipal Committees have 13 wards each.

AAP candidate Sandeep Kumar from Shahkot polled just one vote. And that, too, was not his own.

With confusion in the demarcation of new wards, a dip in the poll percentage was recorded this time. The names of about 400 voters from Sarup Nagar, Kanpur Abaadi and newly constituted wards of 50 and 51 were not in the voters list. As a result, the poll percentage in the district dipped to 57. 

Congress MLAs of Jalandhar city performed well. In the Jalandhar Cantt Assembly segment (represented by Pargat Singh in the House), the Congress won all 11 wards. The ruling party won 18 of 23 wards in Jalandhar West (Sushil Rinku), 19 of 22 wards in Jalandhar Central (Rajinder Beri) and 18 of the 24 wards in Jalandhar North (Bawa Henry).

The prominent winners are Sunita Rinku and Uma Beri, the wives of MLAs Sushil Rinku and Rajinder Beri, respectively, former Leader of the Opposition Jagdish Raja and his wife, Anita Raja. 

With three powerful women contesting successfully, the Jalandhar MC may get the first woman mayor. The election to the Mayor’s post is expected to take place by next week.

The elections brought mixed results for three councillor couples, who contested together for the first time. Raja and his wife won comfortably from ward numbers 48 and 49, while SAD candidate Balbir Bittu and his wife, Karamjit Kaur, lost from ward numbers 8 and 13.  

Former Deputy Mayor Arwinder Kaur Oberoi and her husband, Kuldeep Oberoi, faced a humiliating defeat at the hands of Congress candidates.

Prominent winners

• The Congress performed well in its MLAs constituencies. In the Jalandhar Cantt Assembly segment (represented by Pargat Singh), the party won all 11 wards. It won 18 of 23 wards in Jalandhar West (Sushil Rinku), 19 of 22 wards in Jalandhar Central (Rajinder Beri) and 18 of the 24 wards in Jalandhar North (Bawa Henry)
• Prominent winners are Sunita Rinku, Uma Beri, former Leader of the Opposition Jagdish Raja and his wife Anita Raja