[ad_1]
Performance in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll seems to have worked like a morale booster for the BJP in Punjab.(Representational image: News18)
The BJP made inroads into the reserved constituency, paving its way for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. It was a junior ally to the SAD in Punjab but after the alliance broke, it has been testing political waters in the state
Going solo after over 25 years, the BJP put up an impressive show in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll despite finishing fourth. The saffron camp polled over 1.34 lakh votes in the reserved constituency, paving the way for it to work on the gains ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP has invariably been a junior ally to the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab, but after the alliance broke it has been testing political waters in the state. Party candidate Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal had even pushed Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Dr Sukhwinder Sukhi to the third position for most part of the counting but eventually ended up just behind.
Party leaders, while claiming that this was a major achievement, attributed the performance to homework done well and cadre interaction at booth level. Earlier, as a junior alliance partner with the Akali Dal, the BJP would contest only three assembly seats in Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency and would get three Lok Sabha seats, including Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur and Amritsar, out of a total of 13 in the state. The SAD-BJP alliance came into existence in the 1996 Lok Sabha polls and continued for almost two-and-a-half decades. The Akali Dal walked out of the alliance in 2020 following the massive farmers’ movement against the Centre’s three farm laws.
Last year, with high hopes from the assembly elections, the BJP could only muster 6.6 percent votes, while 54 out of 73 candidates of the party lost their security deposit. But the performance in the bypoll seems to have worked like a morale booster.
Party leaders said the BJP’s target during this poll, more than the numbers, was to ensure that its cadre was activated. “We didn’t want to be seen as a party that was non-existent. We went to the booth level and had our presence felt. The experience from this election will go a long way in helping us out in the Lok Sabha polls,” said a BJP leader.
Of late, the party has witnessed a significant number of leaders coming on board, particularly from its former ally Akali Dal. Sources said the selection of the candidate also worked to its advantage.
“Atwal comes from the Mazhabi Sikh community, which has a significant presence in the constituency. A major chunk of those votes went to the BJP,” said a senior party leader.
[ad_2]
