Kartarpur MLA rewarded for Jalandhar bypoll win

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, May 31

After a slew of declarations for the Jalandhar constituency following resounding win in the bypoll, AAP on Wednesday inducted Kartarpur MLA Balkar Singh into the Cabinet. Balkar got the Local Government portfolio. The development comes just months before the MC polls, slated to be held later this year. The Kartarpur MLA has been party’s preferred choice over other leaders despite the scathing criticism he received from the Opposition recently.

Balkar has taken the place of his predecessor former Cabinet minister Inderbir Singh Nijjar who ‘resigned’ from the position on Tuesday.

Balkar came in under criticism from SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia less than a month ago (amid the bypoll campaign) when Majithia accused him of securing a job for his son on the basis of a fake disability certificate. The two leaders traded barbs and even the state DGP intervened to issue a clarification in favour of the Kartarpur MLA.

Party sources say it is believed that Balkar has been rewarded for his performance during the Jalandhar bypoll as well as his unwavering loyalty to the party. While Balkar defated Congress leader Surinder Singh Chaudhary by a margin of 4,574 votes in Kartarpur in 2022; during the recent Lok Sabha bypoll, AAP’s lead in Kartarpur almost doubled.