Fate of 15 candidates to be decided today

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, July 12

Though AAP workers and leaders are quite optimistic of winning the Jalandhar West bypoll, the results of which will be declared tomorrow, the party is not going much gaga over it. As many as 15 candidates are in the fray from the seat with Mohinder Bhagat, who has been unlucky in the BJP twice in 2017 and 2022, counting on his luck from the AAP ticket.

AAP workers told to gather outside counting centre

• Some AAP leaders said arrangements for a bash had been made at a resort, but no invitations had been sent across. Party workers, however, have been asked to gather outside the counting centre at Lyallpur Khalsa College for Women after the result would start trickling in party’s favour.

Some party leaders said arrangements for a bash had been made at a resort, but no invitations had been sent across. Party workers, however, have been asked to gather outside the counting centre at Lyallpur Khalsa College for Women after the result would start trickling in party’s favour.

Since the vote percentage was down and just about 94,500 people had cast their votes, leaders are wary that there could be a slip too. Most ground workers, including the recently joined bunch of councillors such as Jagdish Samrai, Harjinder Ladda and Tasem Lakhotra, have been confident of giving a lead for the party in their respective areas. “Our calculations say that we will be up with a margin of 5,000-10,000 votes,” they said.

Enthusiasm in the Congress and the BJP camps was not visible at all today. Workers of both parties are happy at giving CM Bhagwant Mann and the AAP government a good run in the bypoll. Exit poll surveys, which leaders of these parties have got done, have not been favourable for them, it is learnt.

Meanwhile, the administration has made all arrangements for counting indoors as there is a prediction of a heavy rainfall tomorrow. “We cannot take risk. So we have planned entire seating arrangement for politicians, media and others indoors under one roof,” said an official.