Chandigarh, Apr 15 – Ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Govind Singh Longowal today won the Dhuri Assembly seat in the byelection held on April 11. Mr Longowal wrested the seat from the Congress by defeating his Congress supported Morcha.
Akali-BJP candidate Gobind Singh Longowal (56) defeated Simar Pratap Singh Barnala (27), the Congress-backed Sanjha Morcha nominee, by a big margin of 37,501 votes in the Dhuri byelection here on Wednesday. With this win, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD’s) strength in the Punjab assembly has gone up to 59, giving it majority on its own in the 117-member House.
In Dhuri, the main contest was between an experienced Longowal, who had been elected MLA on three occasions previously, and first-timer Simar Pratap, grandson of former chief minister Surjit Singh Barnala. Longowal polled 67,596 votes, while Simar Pratap received 30,095. Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) candidate Surjit Singh Kalabula was a distant third with 7,554 votes, followed by Communist Party of India’s (CPI’s) Sukhdev Ram Sharma (1,933). A total of 12 candidates were in the fray. Except Simar Pratap, all losing candidates forfeited their security deposits.
As soon as the result was declared by returning officer Rajesh Dhiman at the Desh Bhagat College, Bardwal, where counting was held, Akali workers erupted into celebrations. The counting was held under three-tier security.
Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, had campaigned extensively in the 76-odd villages of the constituency. Much before electioneering began in earnest, Dhuri was flushed with development funds, with the CM assuring people during sangat darshan of all-round development if they elected Longowal, political heir of Sant Harchand Singh Longowal.
The Akalis won despite the near-absence of ally BJP from campaigning. The SAD persistently targeted the Barnalas, dubbing them as ‘traitors’ to the Panth and accusing them of ‘backstabbing and betraying’ Sant Longowal to get favours from the Congress.
Vikram Singh Dhanaula, who threw shoe at Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at a public function, got just 835 votes. A total of 1071 voters exercised the ‘none of the above’ (NOTA) option.
Longowal described his triumph as a victory of the people and an endorsement of the state government’s policies.
On his plans for Dhuri, he said, “I’ll work for the people of my constituency. I will try to do what was not done in the past three years.” He listed sewerage for the Dhuri town and a new bus stop as his top priorities.
Candidate Party Votes
Gobind Singh Longowal SAD 67,596
Simar Pratap Singh Barnala Congress 30,095
Surjit Singh Kalabula SAD (A) 7,554