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Punjab LS polls: INDIA bloc securing majority, says Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa
Punjab’s leader of opposition claims PM Modi has signalled the end of his political career with meditational retreat at Kanyakumari
Congress leader and leader of opposition in Punjab, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Saturday said that the contest in Punjab is between the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party as the people of the state no longer want to support the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP.
After casting his vote at Sikh National College in Gurdaspur in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Bajwa said, “70% of Punjab’s population resides in rural areas. I have been to various places and observed that the overall trend is anti-BJP and anti-Modi. People no longer want to support the BJP and Modi.”
“There are three options against the BJP, i.e., Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). People don’t want to go with SAD, as they are close allies of the BJP and will likely support them upon winning. The only competition left is between Congress and AAP, and the only suitable alternative to Modi is the Congress,” he said.
Speaking about competition with AAP, he said, “The AAP is contesting elections in 20 seats in these elections, while the Congress is contesting around 350 seats. (AAP convener Arvind) Kejriwal himself stated in his Patna rally that if the INDIA alliance gains a majority, the Prime Minister will be from Congress. Therefore, I appeal to people to vote for Congress.”
Bajwa claimed that according to Congress survey report, the INDIA alliance is likely to gain a majority, while the BJP is expected to win around 230-240 seats. He said, “According to our survey reports, we are getting a lead of 50 plus seats than NDA alliance. We are securing the majority while NDA is getting around 230-240 seats and they don’t have any other external allies supporting them from outside, because the remaining parties have joined hands with the INDIA alliance. To prevent any chances of horse-trading by the BJP, we are having a meeting in Delhi with various parties today, as we have a feeling that they can stoop to any level to form their government.”
Commenting on Modi’s meditational journey, he said, “PM Modi is himself signalling the end of his political career. When a person initiates a spiritual journey, it indicates a desire to be freed from regular life. This is a sign that he is initiating a new phase of life and ending his political journey.”
The Gurdaspur Lok Sabha constituency falls under the unreserved category. Congress from the INDIA bloc has fielded Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa while BJP has given a ticket to Dinesh Singh. Amansher Singh from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is seeking his first term from this seat.
Gurdaspur has been a constituency linked to celebrities with the late Vinod Khanna having represented it. In 2019, BJP candidate and actor Sunny Deol won the 2019 election with a victory margin of 82,459 votes, securing 5,58,719 votes. Sunil Jakhar of the Congress got 4,76,260 votes. The constituency witnessed a significant voter turnout of 69.36% in 2019.
