AAP tsunami sweeps Ludhiana district, wins record 13 Assembly seats

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, March 10

The second-timer Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has scripted history by winning a record 13 of the total 14 Assembly constituencies in a tsunami that swept Ludhiana district on Thursday.

While the SAD was able to retain the Dakha seat, the Congress, Lok Insaaf Party (LIP), BJP and Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM) were completely decimated by failing to even open their account in the district.

The AAP won the Khanna, Samrala, Sahnewal, Ludhiana East, Ludhiana South, Atam Nagar, Ludhiana Central, Ludhiana West, Ludhiana North, Gill, Payal, Raikot and Jagraon Vidhan Sabha segments.

Both Cabinet Ministers from the district, Bharat Bhushan Ashu in Ludhiana West and Gurkirat Singh Kotli in Khanna, three former Akali ministers Sharanjit Singh Dhillon (sitting MLA) in Sahnewal, Maheshinder Singh Grewal in Ludhiana West and Hira Singh Gabria in Ludhiana South, four former bureaucrats Kuldeep Singh Vaid Bulara (sitting MLA) in Gill, retired IAS officer Sucha Ram Ladhar in Gill, retired PCS officer and ex-Akali MLA Shiv Ram Kaler in Jagraon and retired IRS officer Dr Jagtar Singh from Raikot, and the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM) supremo and its chief ministerial face Balbir Singh Rajewal in Samrala, were among the stalwarts who bit the dust. Fatehgarh Sahib Congress MP Dr Amar Singh’s son Kamil Amar Singh also lost his maiden election in Raikot. However, AAP Deputy Leader of Opposition Sarvjit Kaur Manuke was the lone bigwig who retained her seat from the Jagraon Assembly constituency.

The Congress remained the biggest loser by failing to retain none of the eight seats that it had won in 2017. While the AAP emerged as the biggest gainer by taking its tally of three in 2017 (reducing to 1 after one of its MLAs Harvinder Singh Phoolka quit from Dakha in 2017 and the other Jagtar Singh Jagga Hissowal in Raikot switched over to the Congress in the run-up to the elections) to 13 in 2022, the SAD slipped from two seats (won Sahnewal in 2017 and added Dakha in 2019 bypoll) to one by winning the Dakha seat.

The LIP also suffered a major blow with both its two-time MLA brothers — founder Simarjeet Singh Bains and Balvinder Singh Bains — even losing their security deposits in Atam Nagar and Ludhiana South.

The BJP, which fought the Assembly elections separately for the first time after parting ways with the SAD over contentious farm laws, drew blank for the second consecutive time after 2017. Other Congress top guns that faced the defeat were senior-most five-time MLA Rakesh Pandey in Ludhiana North, four-time Congress MLA Amrik Singh Dhillon, who rebelled after being denied party ticket and contested as an Independent in Samrala, and three-time legislator Surinder Kumar Dawar in Ludhiana Central.

Two women win

Sarvjit Kaur Manuke and Rajinder Pal Kaur of the AAP are the two women nominees who won the elections from Jagraon and Ludhiana South, respectively. Rest all 10 women contestants bit the dust.

12 first-timers

Except Sarvjit Kaur Manuke and Manpreet Singh Ayali, who won their second and third election, respectively, all other 12 winners in the district are first-timers with most of them turncoats, majority from the Congress shifting to the AAP.

Highest & lowest

While the highest victory margin of 57,288 votes was recorded by the AAP’s Jiwan Singh Sangowal, who had finished as the runner-up in 2017, from Gill, the SAD’s two-time MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali retained Dakha by the lowest winning difference of 5,807 votes.

Youngest & oldest

While the AAP’s Tarunpreet Singh Sond became the youngest MLA from the district at the age of 38, Hakam Singh Thekedear of the AAP is the oldest winner at 66.

Runners-up

The Congress ended runners-up in seven segments — Sahnewal, Ludhiana East, Atam Nagar, Ludhiana West, Payal, Dakha and Raikot, while the SAD nominees finished second on four seats — Khanna, Samrala, Gill and Jagraon. The BJP made its presence felt by bagging second slot in three constituencies — Ludhiana Central and Ludhiana North and Ludhiana South.

AAP scripts history

The AAP scripted the history by winning 13 Assembly seats, which no other political party in Ludhiana’s history had ever won. Till 2007, Ludhiana district had 12 Vidhan Sabha constituencies but following the delimitation in 2009, the number of seats went up to 14 since the 2012 Assembly polls.

Congress fares worst

Ludhiana had remained a citadel of both the Congress and the SAD so far. The Congress, which had won eight seats in 2017, six in 2012, five in 2007, eight in 2002, three in 1997 and gave the best performance by winning 10 seats in the 1992 Assembly elections, fared the worst in 2022 by scoring zero.

DC, CP thank voters, staff

District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma and Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar have thanked the voters and the civil and police staffers for ensuring free, fair, transparent and peaceful conduct of the Punjab Assembly polls in Ludhiana district.

Prominent losers

Cabinet Ministers Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Gurkirat Singh Kotli, former Akali ministers Sharanjit Singh Dhillon and Maheshinder Singh Grewal, four former bureaucrats Kuldeep Singh Vaid Bulara, Sucha Ram Ladhar, Shiv Ram Kaler and Dr Jagtar Singh, five-time senior-most Congress MLA Rakesh Pandey, four-time Congress MLA-turned-rebel Amrik Singh Dhillon and three-time Congress MLA Surinder Kumar Dawar

Security forfeited

The security deposit of the Industries Minister Gurkirat Singh Kotli in Khanna, SSM supremo Balbir Singh Rajewal, four-time Congress MLA-turned-rebel Amrik Singh Dhillon in Samrala, two-time LIP MLA Balvinder Singh Bains and former Akali Minister Hira Singh Gabria in Ludhiana South, two-time MLA and LIP founder Simarjeet Singh Bains and former Akali MLA Harish Rai Dhanda in Atam Nagar, former Akali minister Maheshinder Singh Grewal in Ludhiana West, retired IAS officer Sucha Ram Ladhar of the BJP in Gill, and sitting AAP MLA from Raikot Jagtar Singh Jagga Hissowal, who fought on the Congress ticket, in Jagraon.

The winners

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.