Meet AAP greenhorn, eye surgeon who made Punjab CM Channi bite the dust

Chandigarh, March 10

A man who once ran a mobile repair shop and an eye surgeon proved to be the nemesis for Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi, who was defeated by them in the Punjab Assembly polls.

Channi had contested the elections from two seats—Bhadaur and Chamkaur Sahib.

Bhadaur AAP candidate Labh Singh Ugoke defeated Channi by a comprehensive margin of 37,558 votes.

Dr Charanjit Singh, an eye surgeon, trounced the CM by 7,942 votes from Chamkaur Sahib, which Channi has represented thrice in the state Assembly.

Ugoke, 35, comes from a humble background. His father is a driver and mother works as a sweeper. He earlier ran a mobile repair shop.

Ugoke joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a volunteer in 2013.

The Bhadaur Assembly segment in Barnala district shot into limelight when the Congress announced that Channi will be contesting from the seat besides Chamkaur Sahib.

By fielding Channi from Bhadaur, the Congress was eyeing electoral gains in Punjab’s politically significant Malwa region, which has a good presence of the Dalits.

A Class 12 pass and first-timer, Ugoke was confident of his victory from day one and had accused Channi of wearing a “mask of common man”.

“There are 74 villages in my constituency and I know the problems of every village. For me, Bhadaur is not a ‘halqa’ (constituency) but my family. Channi sahab does not know the names of even 10 villages of Bhadaur seat,” Ugoke had told PTI last month.

“Channi sahab is not an ‘aam aadmi’. Even though he is from a Dalit family, he is living the life of a king,” he had said.

In 2017, AAP’s Pirmal Singh Dhaula won from the Bhadaur seat. However, Dhaula joined the Congress last year.

The Congress had won Bhadaur in 2012.

The Shiromani Akali Dal won this seat in 1997, 2002 and 2007.

CM Channi had to taste defeat from his home constituency Chamkaur Sahib in Rupnagar district.

Dr Charanjit Singh, an eye surgeon, trounced Channi by a margin of 7,942 votes.

In 2017, Dr Charanjit Singh, who runs a hospital in Morinda, was defeated by Channi by a margin of over 12,000 votes.