The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) appeared to be headed for a clean sweep in Punjab. According to Election Commission data, at 10:30 am, the AAP was leading in 88 seats, while the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) were ahead in 13 and 8 seats, respectively.
Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was trailing in both seats of Bhadaur and Chamkaur Sahib. Five-time chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and Akali Dal’s CM face Sukhbir Singh Badal were also trailing.
The people of the state, who had been openly clamouring for change, appeared to have used their vote to give a chance to a new party. Punjab has traditionally seen the power alternate between the Congress and SAD-BJP.
It is for the first time that Punjab was locked in a multi-cornered contest with two new entrants in the fray –Captain Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress and SAD Sanyukt which fought in an alliance with the BJP, and the farmers’ party — Sanyukt Samaj Morcha.
Badals, Sidhu trailing
Big guns including Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, his cousin and Congress finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, and Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu were trailing after the first round of counting, much to the shock of many political observers who had forecast a hung assembly in the state.
Former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh was also trailing from Patiala.
SAD patron and five-time chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, who has never lost an election, was trailing by 1,400 votes from Lambi constituency, after round one, with AAP ‘s Gurmeet Singh Khuddian surging ahead.
Many new faces of AAP such as Jeevanjot Kaur from Amritsar East were inching ahead of seasoned politicians. At Lehragagga, former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal was a distant third, behind AAP’s Barinder Kumar Goyal.
AAP candidate Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, who had quit the police service after the SIT headed by him was quashed by the High Court, was leading from Amritsar North.
There was a stunned silence in the offices of SAD whose president Sukhbir Badal had yesterday claimed they were forming the government.
At many places, Congress candidates conceded defeat and left the counting centre. Congress candidate from Mohali Balbir Sidhu left the counting centre after trailing behind AAP’s Kulwant Singh after the first two rounds.
Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi, who was contesting from Bhadaur to make a dent in the AAP stronghold of Malwa, was trailing behind AAP candidate Labh Singh Ugoke by 2,195 votes after the first round.
Congress Olympian and minister Pargat Singh was also trailing behind AAP candidate from Jalandhar Cantt.
