AAP nominee wins Cong citadel Ludhiana Central

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, March 19

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had stormed to power in the state by winning 92 seats in the February 20 Assembly polls, also won the Congress citadel Ludhiana Central, which had been represented by the Congress ever since its inception in 2012.

The AAP’s candidate Ashok Parashar (Pappi), 57, defeated the three-time Congress MLA Surinder Kumar Dawar (70), who finished third in a triangular contest. While Pappi polled 32,789 votes, which accounted 33.32 per cent of the total polled votes, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Gurdev Sharma Debi (62) ended runner-up with 27,985 votes, constituting 28.44 per cent vote share. Dawar got 26,972 votes, accounting for 27.41 per cent vote share.

Except these three, all other six candidates in the fray, including the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) nominee, lost their security deposits.

Those, who failed to get even the minimum 16.67 per cent vote share required for saving the security deposit, included Pritpal Singh Pali (65) of the SAD, Harjinder Singh (69) of the SAD (Amritsar), Jagtar Singh (41) of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Darshan Singh (57) of the Insaniyat Lok Vikas Party (ILVP), Raminder Pal Singh (55) of the Peoples Party of India (Democratic) and an Independent candidate, Jatinder Pal Singh (40).

Know your MLA

Ashok Parashar (Pappi), 57, is a turncoat, who had quit the Congress to join the AAP for the second time in October last year. Dealing in a cable network business, Pappi had sought votes for bringing about a change and ensuring all-round development of the constituency. Having passed the seventh standard from Khalsa National Higher Secondary School here in 1976, he had unsuccessfully contested as Congress candidate from Ludhiana South in 2012 and had finished third. Having served as the PPCC general secretary and constituency in-charge, Pappi, along with his five-time councillor brother Rakesh Parashar had also joined AAP in 2016 but had returned to the Congress after he was denied the AAP ticket in the 2017 Assembly polls. His brother Rakesh, along with his supporters, had also joined AAP a few days before the February 20 elections.

“People are fed up with the traditional parties and have opted for a change this time. We will fulfil the aspirations of the people and provide best health and education facilities and basic civic amenities, besides checking corruption and the drug menace,” the new MLA said, adding that the public would soon start witnessing a change in the system.

Past trend

Ludhiana Central, which became an independent Assembly constituency following delimitation in 2009, had remained a bastion of the ruling Congress for the past two elections held here. From a direct contest in 2012 and a triangular fight in 2017, this urban seat, which was part of the Ludhiana East Assembly constituency, before being carved out an independent segment, witnessed a triangular contest this time after the entry of the AAP. While the Congress and the BJP had retained their previous candidates – three-time MLA Surinder Kumar Dawar and Gurdev Sharma Debi, who was runner-up in 2017, respectively.

Dawar, who before being elected twice consecutively from here in 2012 and 2017, had represented the Ludhiana East seat in 2002.

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