Another turncoat demolishes Congress, SAD bastion Raikot

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, March 28

Hakam Singh Thekedar is another turncoat, who switched over from the Congress to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the February 20 Punjab Assembly elections, to win Raikot, which had remained the bastion of the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

First-timer Thekedar has become the second AAP candidate to become the MLA from Raikot, the smallest Vidhan Sabha constituency in Ludhiana district, after Jagtar Singh Jagga Hissowal of the ruling party won from here for the first time in 2017. However, Hissowal had quit AAP to join the Congress ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls.

Except another new face of the Congress Kamil Amar Singh, son of Fatehgarh Sahib Congress MP Dr Amar Singh, all other eight nominees in the poll fray lost their security deposits by failing to get even the minimum required 16.67 per cent vote share.

The AAP nominee polled 63,659 votes, which accounted for 56.04 per cent of the total polled votes, the Congress candidate got 36,015 votes, constituting 31.7 per cent vote share.

Those, who lost their security deposits, included Balwinder Singh Sandhu of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Gurpal Singh Goldy of the SAD (Sanyukt), Rajpal Singh of the Sanyukt Sangharsh Party (SSP), Hargobind Singh of the Punjab Kisan Dal (PKD), Baldev Singh of the Aam Lok Party United (ALPU), Balvir Singh of the Bahujan Mukti Party (BMP), and two Independents Dr Jagtar Singh and Baldev Singh (Dev Sarabha).

Hakam Singh Thekedar (66) had left the Congress in May last year after serving it for over three decades to join AAP. He had replaced Jagtar Singh Jagga Hissowal, who was elected as AAP MLA from Raikot in 2017 but had quit the party to join the Congress ahead of the February 20 Assembly elections.

A labour contractor by profession, with his wife Jaspal Kaur running transport and logistic services, Thekedar had remained the Ludhiana District Congress president, state unit secretary, and vice-president of the Raikot Municipal Council, before switching over to AAP. He was claimant of the Congress ticket from Raikot in 2012 and 2017 but could not succeed.

“We will replicate the AAP’s Delhi model of governance in the state to make it power surplus and ensure never-seen before education and health facilities, besides doing welfare of all, especially women,” said the new MLA, while asserting that the people have voted for change, which the new AAP government would undertake.

Thekedar, who had done Class XII from Government Higher Secondary School, Raikot, said the people were fed up with the traditional parties, who were responsible for all ills prevailing in society. “Eradicating the rampant drug menace and ensuring infrastructure development will remain our top priorities,” he vowed, while adding that the people would start witnessing the change in the present system soon.

Past trend

The Congress had represented the Raikot Assembly seat for a maximum of eight times in 2012, 2007, 1997, 1992, 1980, and 1957 thrice, including two by-polls, while the SAD had won from here seven times in 2002, 1985, 1977, 1972, 1969, 1967 and 1962. The AAP was elected from here in 2017 as well but his MLA switched over to the Congress.

Know your MLA

• Hakam Singh Thekedar (66) had left the Congress in May last year after serving it for over three decades to join the AAP. He had replaced Jagtar Singh Jagga Hissowal, who was elected as AAP MLA from Raikot in 2017 but had quit the party to join the Congress ahead of the February 20 Assembly elections.
• A labour contractor by profession, with his wife Jaspal Kaur running transport and logistic services, Thekedar had remained the Ludhiana District Congress president, state unit secretary, and vice-president of the Raikot Municipal Council, before switching over to the AAP. He was claimant of the Congress ticket from Raikot in 2012 and 2017 but could not succeed.

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