Double blow for Channi, loses both Chamkaur Sahib, Bhadaur

Chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi has lost the election from both seats that he contested -- Chamkaur Sahib in Rupnagar district and Bhadaur in Barnala.

In a major setback, chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi has lost the election from both seats that he contested -- Chamkaur Sahib in Rupnagar district and Bhadaur in Barnala.

In Bhadaur, chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi lost to AAP candidate Labh Singh Ugoke , while in Chamkaur Sahib, he lost to his namesake and ophthalmologist Dr Charanjit Singh Channi. (ANI File Photo)

In Bhadaur, Channi lost to AAP candidate Labh Singh Ugoke. According to the results declared on Thursday, Ugoke, who contested the assembly polls for the first time, defeated Channi by a margin of 37,558 votes.

Of the total 1,25,247 votes polled in Bhadaur, Ugoke got 63,967 while Channi managed to get only 26,409 votes. Channi on Monday had said that if he won both seats, he will retain the Bhadaur seat. In fact, local Congress workers didn’t support him and he was dependent on AAP rebels led by Pirmal Singh Dhaula. Channi failed to win a single round of counting and the margin of victory was more than the votes polled by him.

In fact, Channi had decided to contest from two seats to consolidate the Dalit vote bank in the state. However, it backfired as the division of electioneering management on two seats also cost him dear at his home turf Chamkaur Sahib. At his home turf, Channi’s namesake and ophthalmologist Dr Charanjit Singh Channi defeated the chief minister. The anti-incumbency of three terms as Chamkaur Sahib MLA was very much visible against Channi and AAP candidate capitalised on it. He raked up the issue of mining and “corruption” by Congress workers to connect with the voters. He had lost to Channi in the last elections, but even after his debacle, he remained in the constituency and worked in the area through free medical camps and other charity works which made him popular.

“It’s a victory of the common man. Channi used his power and all possible allurements to win over voters, but he was having no idea that people are fed up with the traditional parties. It’s vote to see a change in Punjab,” said Dr Charanjit.