The parliamentary elections held in 2014 witnessed a Narendra Modi wave that spread to major part of the country, but it failed to impact the voters in Punjab. In the general elections, which were held in phases across the country over April-May, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a total of 282 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha, paving the way for Modi to become India’s 14th Prime Minister.
In Punjab, during the seventh phase of the parliamentary elections, the new entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) opened its account in the state by winning in four constituencies, matching the tally of the Congress party.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) combine won five seats out of which the BJP won just a single seat. The AAP’s victory left the mainstream political parties stunned as it was an impressive performance, considering it had neither adequate resources nor a strong cadre in the state.
The Congress suffered a loss of four seats as it had won in eight parliamentary constituencies in 2009. The direct beneficiary of the Congress loss was the new entrant AAP. The Congress got a vote share of 33.10 per cent, SAD 26.30 per cent, AAP 24.40 per cent and BJP 8.70 per cent.
Looking at the results assembly constituency-wise, the ruling SAD-BJP coalition government won in just 45 assembly segments of the 13 parliamentary seats in Punjab, barely two years after it had scored a stunning victory in the 2012 assembly elections, winning 68 seats. Similarly, the dramatic verdict of the general elections, announced on May 16, dealt a heavy body blow to the Congress, which won in 37 assembly segments as against 47 assembly seats it had won in the last state polls.
Thus, the tally of the SAD-BJP — keeping in view the Lok Sabha poll results — slipped by 23 seats, while the Congress lost 10 seats. The AAP won in 33 assembly segments out of the total 117 assembly seats in this border state.
Two seats, however, fell vacant before the general elections in 2019. The Gurdaspur member of parliament Vinod Khanna died in 2017, leaving the constituency open for a by-election. The Congress party’s Sunil Jakhar won in the Gurdaspur by-election. In Amritsar, Capt. Amarinder Singh resigned in 2016 to contest the state polls in 2017. Gurjeet Singh Aujla was later elected in the by-poll for the Amritsar parliamentary seat.
An assembly constituency-wise analysis of the Lok Sabha results showed that Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa not only lost in all nine assembly segments of Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat, but also suffered the humiliation of losing by 2,426 votes in Qadian assembly segment represented by his MLA wife Charanjit Kaur Bajwa. Another setback for Bajwa was the fact that the rival BJP nominee Vinod Khanna, who won by 1.36 lakh votes, got a lead of 60,896 votes in five assembly segments represented by Congress MLAs, besides retaining lead in four other assembly segments.
Prem Singh Chandumajra speaking to reporters
In Amritsar, Capt. Amarinder Singh, who defeated BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley by over 1 lakh votes, got a lead in seven assembly segments out of which six were represented by SAD-BJP MLAs.
Capt. Amarinder got a lead of 32,198 votes from MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu’s segment and 18,726 votes from the seat of Anil Joshi, the controversial BJP minister who has now resigned. However, in Khadoor Sahib, the Lok Sabha seat which the SAD won by over one lakh votes, it got a lead in all the nine assembly segments. The SAD nominee and sitting Adampur MLA Pawan Kumar Tinu witnessed a decline in popularity leading to a loss by 4,466 votes in his assembly segment, while Congress’ sitting MLA Joginder Singh Panjgrain, who contested from Faridkot, also lost in Jaitu, the assembly segment he represents in the Vidhan Sabha.
While the SAD-BJP had won all nine segments in Jalandhar in the assembly elections, in the Lok Sabha elections the SAD nominee lost in seven assembly segments, including Jalandhar central from where BJP’s Manoranjan Kalia is an MLA. In adjoining Hoshiarpur, which the BJP’s Vijay Sampla won by a slender margin of 13,582 votes, the Congress got a lead of 5,000 votes from the assembly segment of BJP’s chief parliamentary secretary Som Parkash.
The results sprang a major surprise in Anandpur Sahib parliamentary seat where SAD candidate Prem Singh Chandumajra, despite winning only in two assembly segments, emerged victorious with a margin of 23,697 votes, defeating Congress veteran Ambika Soni. Soni managed to garner a lead in three assembly segments of the SAD, while AAP’s Himmat Shergill was ahead in four assembly segments represented by the Congress. But in the Ludhiana Lok Sabha seat, which saw a four-cornered contest, the ruling SAD was wiped out, while the AAP got a lead in four assembly segments. Congress leader Ravneet Singh Bittu, who won by 19,709 votes, got a lead in three assembly segments but trailed in others. For the SAD, another jolt came in Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha seat where the ruling party got the lead in one segment, while AAP got stronger support in six assembly segments.
The AAP phenomenon hit the SAD and the Congress equally in Faridkot. Here, the AAP candidate polled more votes than his rivals in the fray in seven assembly segments, while the Congress and the SAD led in one segment each. Similarly, in Sangrur, the Congress was wiped out in all the eight assembly segments as the AAP won majority support. The SAD managed to lead in Lehra segment being represented by Congress leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal.
The Patiala Lok Sabha seat delivered the biggest shock with the AAP wresting the seat from Preneet Kaur, wife of Capt. Amarinder Singh, by 20,942 votes. The AAP candidate Dr. Dharam Vira Gandhi won in four assembly segments, while the SAD managed to lead in two and the Congress in three segments, including Samana, the assembly segment represented by SAD leader and cabinet minister Surjit Singh Rakhra.
Significant Development
The biggest surprise was the failure of BJP’s top leader Arun Jaitley to win his first parliamentary election from Amritsar. Jaitley was very close to the prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, and was expected to be an important minister in his cabinet. Jaitley, a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, lost the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat to the Congress stalwart Amarinder Singh, who had dubbed the BJP leader as being an “outsider” who had parachuted into the Golden Temple city. Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, it was widely expected that Jaitley would get the finance minister’s portfolio if the NDA formed the government. This proved true as, despite Jaitley’s defeat in Amritsar, Modi inducted Jaitley into the cabinet as union finance minister. The SAD and BJP leaders from Punjab had campaigned strongly for Jaitley in Amritsar, insisting that he was no outsider as he had strong family ties with the city. Jaitley’s electoral defeat, however, caused considerable embarrassment to the coalition.
The other significant development during the 2014 parliamentary elections in Punjab was the unprecedented and unexpected response of the electorate for the AAP. Interestingly AAP contested on 434 Lok Sabha seats across the country, but could win only four seats, all of them in Punjab.
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Those who were declared victorious in the 13 parliamentary constituencies:
- On Gurdaspur seat, Vinod Khanna of BJP defeated Partap Singh Bajwa of the Congress with a margin of 1.36 lakh votes.
- Capt. Amarinder Singh of the Congress defeated BJP’s Arun Jaitley in Amritsar constituency with a margin of 1.02 lakh votes.
- In Khadoor Sahib seat, Ranjit Singh Brahmpura of the SAD was declared victorious against Harminder Singh Gill with a margin of one lakh votes.
- In the Jalandhar reserved constituency, Santokh Singh Chaudhary of the Congress won against Pawan Tinu of the SAD with a margin of 70,981 votes.
- In Hoshiarpur constituency, also reserved for the SC candidates, Vijay Sampla of the BJP won with 13,582 votes, the smallest victory margin among all the 13 constituencies.
- From Patiala constituency, Dharam Vira Gandhi of the AAP defeated Preneet Kaur of the Congress with a margin of 20,942 votes.
- In Sangrur, Bhagwant Mann of the AAP defeated SAD’s Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa with a margin of 2.11 lakh votes. Mann won with the highest margin in all the 13 constituencies of the state.
- Prem Singh Chandumajra of the SAD won Anandpur Sahib seat with a margin of 23,697 votes, defeating Ambika Soni of the Congress.
- The SAD candidate Sher Singh Ghubaya defeated Sunil Jakhar of the Congress in the Ferozpur seat with a margin of 31,420 votes.
- In Ludhiana, Ravneet Singh Bittu of the Congress won with a margin of 19,709 votes. He defeated Manpreet Singh Ayali of the SAD-BJP coalition.
- In the Fatehgarh Sahib SC reserved constituency, Harinder Singh Khalsa of the AAP won with a margin of 54,144 votes. He was declared victorious against Kulwant Singh of the SAD-BJP coalition
- Harsimrat Kaur Badal, a SAD-BJP candidate, won on Bathinda seat with a vote margin of 19,395. She defeated Manpreet SIngh Badal of the Congress. In 2014 she was the lone woman candidate elected to the Lok Sabha from Punjab.
- In Faridkot SC reserved seat, Sadhu Singh of the AAP won with a margin of 1.72 lakh votes. He defeated Joginder Singh Panjgrian of the Congress.
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