Jalandhar West bypoll: Litmus test for AAP to retain its edge
Deepkamal Kaur
Jalandhar, June 10
As the ECI has announced bypoll on the Jalandhar West Assembly seat for July 10, winning a single Assembly bypoll in Punjab may not be a tough task for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the state. However, the fact that the party trailed on the third position from this urban, reserved segment in the Lok Sabha elections held recently implies that it has to work really hard here to retain its one-upmanship.
Cong bagged top position in segment
While the Congress with the consolidation of Dalit vote bank got the topmost position here with 44,394 votes, the BJP with the consolidation of Hindu vote bank trailed with just 1,500 votes. The AAP had remained on a distant third position with just 15,629 votes from this segment.
While the Congress with the consolidation of Dalit vote bank got the topmost position here with 44,394 votes, the BJP with the consolidation of Hindu vote bank trailed with just 1,500 votes. The AAP had remained on a distant third position with just 15,629 votes from this segment. This was the segment from where the party got the lowest score from among all nine segments falling under the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat.
There is some reprieve for the AAP that it stood first in this segment during the 2023 LS bypoll. The party had then polled 35,288 votes. The Congress was at distant second with 25,000 votes and the BJP on third position with 21,826 votes. Ever since former MLA Sheetal Angural and former MP Sushil Rinku left the party, AAP’s vote bank had crashed by 20,000 votes going less than half.
Certainly, Lok Sabha elections and Assembly bypoll will have a completely different scenario. Since June 21 is last date for filing nomination papers, there is little time left with the parties to gear up or make any significant improvement.
There are several issues in Jalandhar West where the AAP needs to work upon such as erratic functioning of treatment plant at Basti Peer Daad, contamination of Kala Sanghian drain with harmful industrial effluents, dilapidated roads, rampant drug, liquor smuggling, unchecked betting and gambling.
Since the code of conduct was in force since mid-March, AAP had little time in the past three months to work on any of these issues. Soon after the poll code was lifted after the LS elections, it has been imposed all over again.
