CHANDIGARH, 13 MAY: 4 YEARS AFTER AAP CANDIDATE FORFEITED SECURITY DEPOSIT FROM JALANDHAR L.S. SEAT IN MAY-2019, AAP DEFEATS CONG WHICH HAS REMAINED INVINCIBLE SINCE 1999
CHANDIGARH – Fourteen months after assuming reins of power in Punjab by winning whopping 92 seats out of total 117 in State Legislative Assembly, Bhagwant Mann led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dispensation, which however lost June, 2022 Sangrur Lok Sabha ByPoll by a narrow margin, has finally emerged victorious in Jalandhar (SC) Lok Sabha Bye-Election for which polling was held on May 10 in which AAP’s candidate Sushil Kumar Rinku has defeated Cong nominee Karamjit Kaur Choudhary by fifty eight thousand six hundred & ninety one votes. Karamjit is widow of deceased Chaudhary Santokh Singh who has been two time former MP from Jalandhar LS seat and whose demise on Jan 14 this year necessitated the latest Bypoll. Rinku got three lakh two thousand two hundred & seventy nine votes (34%) as against two lakh forty three thousand five hundred & eighty eight votes of Karamjit (27.4%)
Meanwhile, Hemant Kumar, an Advocate at Punjab and Haryana High Court, told that in May, 2019, the margin of victory of Chaudhary Santokh Singh was over nineteen thousand votes where in May, 2014, it was close to seventy one thousand votes . In 1998, former PM Inder Kumar Gujral won from Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat, which was then not a SC reserved seat, by 1.31 lakh votes as a Janta Dal candidate with the support of SAD(Shiromani Akali Dal)
Be that as it may, in today’s counting for Jalandhar Bypoll since Dr. Sukhwinder Sukhi, candidate fielded by SAD who is also sitting MLA of current 16th Punjab Vidhan Sabha has got one lakh fifty eight thousand four hundred and forty five votes which account for 17.85% of total valid votes polled, hence he has been able to save his security deposit. However, BJP candidate, Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal has got one lakh thirty four thousand eight hundred votes which make only 15.19 % of total valid votes polled and which is less than one-sixth of total valid votes polled, hence his security deposit stands forfeited.
However, if votes of both SAD & BJP candidates are added, then the total comes out to be over 2.93 lakh which is only a few thousand less than victorious AAP’s Rinku. Hence, it seems imminent that before Apr-May 2024 scheduled 18th Lok Sabha General Elections, both SAD and BJP, which parted ways in Sep, 2020 owing to differences over three Farm Laws (since repealed by Parliament), might decide to enter into an alliance afresh in order to prevent segregation of Anti-AAP and Anti-Congress votes. Currently SAD is in alliance with BSP, quips Hemant.
The Advocate further told that it was straight four years back in May, 2019 current 17th Lok Sabha General Elections that the then AAP candidate fielded from Jalandhar LS seat viz. Justice Jora Singh (Retired), a retired Judge of High Court not only lost to Chaudhary Santokh Singh of Cong but rather even forfeited his security deposit as he got just over twenty-five thousand votes which were 2.50% of then total valid votes polled in that election. However, before that in May, 2014 16th Lok Sabha General Elections, where AAP surprised everyone in the country by winning four Lok Sabha seats from Punjab, then AAP nominee from Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat Jyoti Mann although lost the election to Chaudhary Santokh Singh but she remained third and got over 2.54 lakh votes which were 24.42% of total valid votes polled.
As far as now elected AAP candidate, Sushil Kumar Rinku is concerned, it must be recalled that he left Cong and joined AAP only in April this year. Pertinent to mention that in Feb, 2022 during General Elections to current 16th Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Rinku, while contesting on Cong ticket, however lost from Jalandhar (West) Assembly Constituency, which is one of the 9 Assembly Segments under Jalandhar Lok Sabha Seat from which he has now won. At that time however, Sheetal Angural of AAP defeated Rinku by over four thousand votes from the Jalandhar (West) Assembly Seat. Before that in Feb, 2017 Rinku however won from the Jalandhar (West) Assembly seat by defeating Mohinder Bhagat of BJP by over seventeen thousand votes.
Be that as it may, Hemant further said that with the election of Rinku as AAP candidate in Jalandhar bypoll, the party has made a re-entry in the current 17th Lok Sabha whose tenure is however only 13 months more i.e. next year till 16 June 2024. In Apr-May 2019 General Elections, AAP party won only one Lok Sabha seat in the country viz. Sangrur from Punjab from where Bhagwant Mann emerged victorious. However, after getting elected as MLA in 16th Punjab Vidhan Sabha and before taking Oath of Office & Secrecy as Punjab Chief Minister, Bhagwant tendered his resignation as MP from Sangrur on 14 Mar 2022 which necessitated the ByPoll from that seat which was eventually won by Simranjit Singh Mann of SAD (A) in June, 2022. AAP has however 10 MPs in Rajya Sabha, seven from Punjab and three from NCT of Delhi.
Pertinent that Rinku’s tenure as Lok Sabha MP from Jalandhar would be only for a year however he would be able to get all the benefits which are admissible to such MP who enjoys full five year tenure. Thus, he would be eligible for full pension and other facilities as an ex-MP after completion of his tenure next year. However, since Rinku has been getting pension as former MLA of Punjab Vidhan Sabha (for the tenure 2017-2022), hence now after being elected as Lok Sabha MP now, he would not be entitled to receive such Pension as an ex-MLA of Punjab Vidhan Sabha until he remains Lok Sabha MP, asseted Hemant.