Congress sweeps Gurdaspur bypoll by huge margin

Chandigarh: Congress candidate Sunil Jakhar on Sunday won the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha byelection by beating his nearest BJP rival Swaran Salaria with a huge margin of 1,93,219 votes, while Aam Aadmi Party candidate Major General (retd) Suresh Khajuria finished a distant third. Mr Jakhar polled 4,99,752 votes while Salaria polled 3,06,553, a poll official said. 

Aam Aadmi Party nominee Khajuria was at the third sport with 23,579 votes. The seat had fallen vacant after the death of BJP MP Vinod Khanna in April this year. Mr Khanna was four-time MP from the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat. 

The actor had won this seat in 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2014. After victory, Sunil Jakhar thanked voters for the resounding victory in the bypoll. “With this victory, people have reaffirmed faith in the leadership of Amarinder Singh,” said Jakhar. 

“This is a victory for the Congress and Capt Amarinder Singh,” he said. Congratulating Mr Jakhar, the Punjab chief minister said it is a victory for the development agenda. 

After the trends suggesting massive lead for Congress, party workers assembled at the party office in Chandigarh and started distributing sweets and danced. State cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu said, “We have sent a beautiful Diwali gift packed with red ribbon to our would-be President Rahul Gandhi because it sets the tone...It will be a shot in the arm for the Congress.” 

“Today the BJP will realise that Akali Dal in Punjab has become a burden. Time and again people have reprimanded them. It will be demoralising and send them (SAD-BJP) packing,” he added. 

Both the BJP and the AAP accused the Congress of misusing official machinery to win the bypoll. Punjab BJP secretary Vineet Joshi alleged that the Congress misused the official machinery in the bypoll. AAP candidate Khajuria also accused the Congress of using “undemocratic means” in the bypoll elections.