Jalandhar: In Mohinder Bhagat, AAP shows its Midas touch

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, July 14

With the impressive win of AAP leader Mohinder Bhagat in the Jalandhar West Assembly bypoll, the Aam Aadmi Party has taken its pride of place as a party with a Midas touch — which could be banked upon to redeem the failing careers of leaders who were sidelined in their former parties.

Though a mere bypoll, the party’s win is significant and will leave its mark in the coming state elections. While AAP cadres had been angst-ridden at the Sushil Rinku-Sheetal Angural duo for leaving the party in the lurch right ahead of the 2024 Jalandhar Lok Sabha elections, the win has been cathartic for the party and its workers who had been awaiting to exact a revenge on them ever since. It has repeatedly been said during the polls that the AAP has made tall leaders out of people whose careers were in their twilight years.

The AAP had also resurrected the careers of both Sushil Rinku (in the 2023 bypoll) when he was brought in from the Congress and Sheetal Angural (in the 2022 Assembly elections) when he defected from the BJP. This was part of the reason for the workers’ ire. In the 2023 bypoll, the Congress had chosen Karamjit Chaudhary as its candidate. And Sheetal Angural could not have imagined contesting elections as an MLA from the BJP. But they became prominent leaders and voices to reckon with in Doaba politics after bagging AAP ticket and won, backed by energetic cadres of the Aam Aadmi Party.

While Rinku came in second to Congress’ Charanjit Singh Channi in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha poll, leaving the AAP at number three, in the Jalandhar West bypoll, the AAP has found its moment.

Mohinder Bhagat, former BJP leader who was disillusioned with the party, hadn’t registered a win against these very leaders (Rinku and Angural) in the 2017 and 2021 but is now all set to be a minister. He is the latest leader from Doaba to ride into glory backed by the AAP’s massive support base.

Bhagat’s stroke of fortune started with Sheetal Angural’s resignation from the post of MLA (now termed by many as a political suicide) after he joined the BJP with Rinku. Had the bypoll not been necessitated, Bhagat would have had to wait longer. Apart from being the AAP candidate in the bypoll, the fondness of the cadres towards Bhagat was also evident. He stood smiling behind the CM during his speeches and greeted workers with hugs when he won the bypoll yesterday. His loyalty and “honesty” has been the key poll plank for the AAP to contest with.

He is reportedly being considered for the state ministry of sports with his family having a long association with the business which is one of the backbones of trade in Jalandhar West. His son Atul Bhagat also runs sports goods manufacturing units.