AAP breaches LIP bastion in Atam Nagar; two-time MLA Bains loses security deposit

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, March 17

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) tsunami that swept the district in the Punjab Assembly polls breached the Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) bastion Atam Nagar, which was represented by the LIP founder Simarjit Singh Bains (52) since its inception in 2012.

Past trend

Atam Nagar was carved out as an independent Assembly constituency following delimitation in 2009. This constituency, which was part of the Ludhiana Rural Vidhan Sabha segment earlier, had remained the bastion of Simarjit Singh Bains, the founder of LIP, who had won both the previous Assembly elections held here in 2012 and 2017. Besides Bains, the Congress has retained Kamaljit Singh Karwal, who was runner-up in the 2017 polls, while the SAD with its new alliance partner Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had fielded a former MLA and leading lawyer Harish Rai Dhanda in place of Gurmeet Singh Kular, who had finished third from here in 2017. The AAP, BJP and SSM, which contested their maiden elections from this seat, had put up new faces Kulwant Singh Sidhu, Prem Mittal and Harkirat Singh Rana, respectively, who contested their maiden election. Bains had won his maiden election in 2012 as an Independent and later as LIP nominee in 2017.

A turncoat first-timer Kulwant Singh Sidhu (57) of the AAP won the urban seat by polling 44,601 votes, which were 77.52 per cent of 57,534 votes that the four candidates of the traditional parties, including a two-time MLA and a former MLA, collectively polled.

Except Congress candidate Kamaljit Singh Karwal (51), who managed to get his security deposit by securing 28,247 votes, which accounted for 26.88 per cent of the total polled votes, the two-time LIP founder MLA Bains, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) former MLA and leading lawyer Harish Rai Dhanda (61), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee Prem Mittal (73) and Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM) candidate Harkirat Singh Rana (59) lost their security deposits by failing to get the minimum required 16.67 per cent vote share.

Know your MLA

Kulwant Singh Sidhu had last year quit as the PPCC secretary to join the AAP in August after serving the Congress for almost 30 years. A law graduate from Shia College, Sidhu had joined the Congress in 1992 following his brother Hardial Singh’s election as an Independent municipal councillor here 1991. Running resorts and marriage palaces, Sidhu had taken up the cudgels against the two-time LIP MLA Simarjit Singh Bains while vowing to free Atam Nagar of widespread violence and drugs.

“Lawlessness, drugs and non-development of the area during the past 10 years forced the people to bring about change this time,” the new AAP MLA said, while adding, “We will ensure all-round development and check the illegal drug trade, which is rampant in the area, while ensuring better health, education and infrastructure facilities.”

99 voted for Bains’ wife

Surinder Kaur Bains (46), wife of two-time LIP MLA Simarjit Singh Bains, who had filed her nomination papers as a covering candidate of Simarjit but failed to withdraw and hence remained in the poll fray, polled 99 votes, constituting 0.09 per cent vote share. Though Bains and their party had been telling the electorate not to vote for Surinder, whose candidature they attributed to “technical glitch”, a few voters still made her their choice.

About The Author

Tribune News Service

The Tribune News Service brings you the latest news, analysis and insights from the region, India and around the world. Follow the Tribune News Service for a wide-ranging coverage of events as they unfold, with perspective and clarity.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.