Finally, Harsimrat has the last laugh

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 23

In a neck-and-neck contest, SAD candidate from the Bathinda parliamentary constituency Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday defeated Congress candidate Amrinder Singh Raja Warring by a margin of 21,772 votes, becoming the first MP to represent the constituency in Parliament for third time in a row.

According to the results declared by the District Election Officer, Harsimrat polled 4,92,824 votes and Raja Warring bagged 4,71,052 votes.

The SAD candidate fetched 41.04 per cent votes, while Raja Warring got 39.23 per cent votes. This time, Harsimrat’s victory margin has improved a bit as compared to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when she won by 19,395 votes.

Harsimrat bagged a lead from five Assembly segments — Bathinda (Urban), Lambi, Budhlada, Bucho and Bathinda (Rural) — of the total nine segments in the constituency.

Raja Warring took a lead from Talwandi Sabo, Sardulgarh, Mansa and Maur Assembly segments.

In Lambi, the home turf of former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Harsimrat got the maximum lead as she polled 61,579 votes against the 45,454 votes of Raja Warring.

In Bathinda (Urban), Harsimrat fetched 63,558 votes, while the Congress candidate got 59,815 votes. In Bucho, Harsimrat polled 57,763 votes, while Raja Warring polled 49,564 votes.

In Bathinda (Rural), the SAD candidate got 51,552 votes and Raja Warring 48,966 votes.

In Talwandi Sabo, Harsimrat got 42,152 votes, while the Congress candidate took 48,113 votes. In Maur, Harsimrat polled 44,224 votes and Warring got 49,877 votes.

In Mansa, Harsimrat got 56,240 votes and the Congress candidate got 59,166 votes. In Sardulgarh, she polled 53,082 votes and Raja Warring got 56,240 votes. In Budhlada, Harsimrat bagged 60,641 votes and the Congress candidate bagged 52,117 votes.

A total of 27 candidates were in the fray from this high-profile constituency. A total of 24 candidates failed to touch even the five-digit figure.