Jalandhar bypoll result: Impressive show by BJP ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls

Tribune News Service

Vishav Bharti

Chandigarh, May 13

The BJP, which had been junior ally to Shiromani Akali Dal, has put up an impressive show in Jalandhar Lok Sabha byelection.

The saffron party candidate Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal had pushed SAD candidate Dr Sukhwinder Sukhi to the third position for most part of the counting but eventually ended up just behind.

The party did its home work well and worked at the booth level this election.

Earlier, as a junior alliance partner with SAD, the party had been contesting just three Assembly seats in Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency. And they would get total three Lok Sabha seats, including Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur and Amritsar out of the 13 in the state.   

The alliance between the SAD and the BJP came into existence in 1996 Lok Sabha elections. The alliance continued for almost two-and-half a decades till SAD walked out of the alliance in 2020 following massive farmers' movement against three farm laws enacted by the centre government.

Last year, having high hopes from the Assembly elections, the saffron party could muster just 6.6 per cent votes and 54 out of 73 candidates of the party lost their security deposit.