Punjab Chief Minister and Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi has lost the election from both the seats that he contested – Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur. In Bhadaur, the Aam Aadmi Party’s Labh Singh Ugoke got over 57,000 votes, while Mr Channi drew a little over 23,000 votes. In the other seat, Mr Channi got some 50,000 votes, while his nearest rival from the Aam Aadmi Party who has a similar name – Charanjit Singh – got over 54,000 votes.
The Aam Aadmi Party, or AAP, looks set to form government in Punjab with leads showing a good sweep. This win would give the Aam Aadmi Party, or AAP, its first chance at running a full state unlike Delhi, which is a Union Territory.
The AAP is leading in 90 seats, while the Congress is behind with 18 in the 117-member house. The BJP won 2 seats, while the Shiromani Akali Dal won 6, the early trends show.
The Congress fought the Punjab elections battling factionalism. The party changed its Chief Minister in September last year even as the party’s new state unit chief, Navjot Singh Sidhu, hinted about his own chief ministerial ambitions.
The Congress finally declared Mr Channi as the first Dalit Chief Minister of Punjab, endorsing him for the chief ministerial face days before polling on February 20.
