Chandigarh, May 18 – The heavy weight MLAs in Punjab who should get worried on the AAP’s triumph in their territories include finance minister Parminder Dhindsa (Sunam), Tota Singh (Dharamkot) and Manpreet Ayali (Dakha), all of SAD. Among the Congress MLAs to worry include Kuljit Nagra, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot (Nabha SC), Lal Singh (Sanour), Brahm Mohindra (Patiala-rural), Balbir Sidhu (Mohali) and Charanjit Channi (Chamkaur Sahib).
With 24.4% vote share, AAP’s two losing candidates —HS Phoolka and Himmat Singh Shergill have a share in toppling the tables in eight assembly segments.
Mohali MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu says, “AAP has been a very big factor in Punjab.” Acknowledging AAP eating into the votes of both the Congress and the SAD, Sidhu says the social media and the NRI factor led to a situation where he and many like him faced AAP stealing the show in their citadels.
“Had AAP not been there, the entire anti-incumbency in Punjab would have been a gain to the Congress,” he says.
AAP Punjab committee convener Sumail Sidhu says taking up regional issues like drug menace and sand mafia and also raising the “callousness of the state government about the fate of the peasantry” really clicked. “AAP cadres will continue to connect with the people for their issues to be decided on priority in the post-poll scenario,” he says, when asked whether the AAP wave would hold consistently.
AAP LEAD IN 33 ASSEMBLY SEGMENTS
Banga, Nawanshahr, Chamkaur Sahib, SAS Nagar, Ludhiana West, Gill, Dakha, Jagraon, Bassi Pathana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Samrala, Payal, Raikot, Amargarh,Nihal Singh Wala , Baghapurana , Moga, Dharamkot, Faridkot, Kotkapura , Jaitu , Dirbha , Sunam, Bhadaur, Barnala , Mehal Kalan, Malerkotla, Dhuri, Sangrur, Nabha, Patiala rural, Shutrana,