Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s Congress party seems to be heading towards a major defeat in the state. Surprisingly, the Bhadaur seat, where Channi himself seemed very confident, has been defeated by the owner of a mobile repair shop.
The Dalit population is very high in Malwa area of Punjab, due to which the Congress fielded Charanjit Singh Channi from Bhadaur seat here. But Channi seems to be lagging behind in the electoral trends. He defeated Labh Singh Channi, a resident of Ugoke village in Barnala district. Labh Singh, who runs a mobile repairing shop in his village, is the candidate of the Aam Aadmi Party. AAP’s Labh Singh has a lead of over 26,000 votes over the Congress leader.
AAP won the seat in 2017
Aam Aadmi Party had captured Bhadaur seat in the last elections. In the 2017 assembly elections, AAP’s candidate Piermal Singh Dhaula defeated Balbir Singh Ghunas of Akali Dal by a margin of over 20,000 votes. Aam Aadmi Party got 45.15 percent votes in this seat, while Akali Dal got 28.71 percent votes. The Congress hoped that by fielding its biggest Dalit face from this seat, the party could win many seats in the Malwa region.