Reasons behind AAP's victory in Jalandhar Parliamentary by-poll

Aam Aadmi Party Candidate, Sushil Kumar Rinku, has achieved a historic victory in the Jalandhar Parliamentary by-poll. He secured a significant margin of over 58,000 votes, defeating his opponents, including Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary from the Congress, Dr Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi from the S.A.D. (Badal) –B.S.P. Alliance, and Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal from the B.J.P. This remarkable win serves as a testament to the effectiveness of the policies and programs of the Aam Aadmi Party. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, who campaigned in Jalandhar, can proudly add this victory to his achievements. Despite the tireless efforts of senior leaders from Congress and B.J.P., their desired outcomes were ultimately overturned. Previously considered a stronghold of the Congress Party, the defeat of their candidate raises questions about the main reasons behind this outcome. The B.J.P. leaders, however, expressed satisfaction with a mere approximately three percent increase in their vote percentage during this by-poll. The Aam Aadmi Party emerged victorious in seven assembly segments, namely Adampur, Phillaur, Shahkot, Nakoder, Kartarpur, Jalandhar Cantt, and Jalandhar West. The Bharatiya Janata Party secured wins in Jalandhar Central and Jalandhar North, where Manoranjan Kalia and Krishan Dev Bhandari represented the respective constituencies in the past. Interestingly, the Aam Aadmi Party ranked second, while the Congress came in third in these two constituencies. The reasons behind the Aam Aadmi Party's victory in the Jalandhar Parliamentary by-poll could be attributed to the provision of 300 units of free power to every household per month, continued free travel for females on state government buses, the opening of Mohalla Clinics, and ongoing education reforms and development initiatives.

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION ELECTIONS IN PUNJAB?
Now, there is possibility that the Aam Aadmi Party might announce municipal corporation elections in Punjab within a short span of time following their historic win in the Jalandhar Parliamentary by-poll. Considering the popularity of the Bhagwant Singh Mann-led government, there is a possibility that the state government will move forward with the announcement of these elections, which are due in various corporations. The leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party remain hopeful of achieving a sweeping victory in the upcoming municipal corporation elections.

BJP'S PROSPECTS IN SOUTH INDIA?
With the Lok Sabha polls scheduled for 2024, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had high hopes of returning to power by winning the Karnataka Assembly elections. However, the recent mandate from the people of Karnataka has raised several questions in the minds of senior BJP leadership. They wonder whether the outcome of the Karnataka Assembly polls will upset the party's prospects of winning in the 2024 Parliament elections. The BJP will need to evaluate whether Narendra Modi's influential wave can once again increase the party's vote percentage in Karnataka and translate into a historic victory in the Parliament elections.

Authored by:
Rajat Kumar Mohindru,
Senior Journalist,
Jalandhar city.