AAP govt’s performance contributed to my win in Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll, says Sushil Rinku

AAP candidate Sushil Rinku on Saturday won the Jalandhar Lok Sabha by-election, defeating his nearest rival and Congress nominee Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary by a margin of 58,691 votes

From a municipal councillor to Jalandhar’s member parliament Sushil Kumar Rinku on Saturday emerged as the new Dalit face in Doaba politics.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) party candidate Sushil Kumar Rinku during celebartions after his win in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha byelection in Jalandhar on Saturday. (ANI)

In his political career, starting from 2002 as a municipal councillor to a member of the legislative assembly (MLA) in 2017, Rinku remained a staunch Congress worker till March 2023 when he jumped ship to join Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Within hours of joining, he was declared the party’s candidate for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll.

Till March 26, Rinku was campaigning in favour of Congress due to his long-standing association with former Congress MP Mahinder Singh Kaypee and present Congress MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh.

Winning the bypoll with a thumping margin of 58,691 votes, Rinku spoke to HT about challenges and key priorities.

Was this election challenging for you?

I have been into politics for the past two decades and have taken every election, be it of councillor or MLA and now MP, very seriously. Moreover, I took this bypoll as a challenge to breach Congress’ stronghold, and I managed to do it with a huge margin.

What factors go in your favour?

The result is the outcome of the AAP government’s performance in the past 14 months. The pro-people decisions, be it free electricity and the opening of Mohalla clinics, all went in our favour. People brought AAP into power with a huge mandate in 2022, and people have now validated that they made the right choice.

There are no major challenges, as I always believed the party is supreme not a political face. It is the charisma of AAP that worked in Jalandhar. From party supremo and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and the party’s other leaders and workers everyone contributed to my win. They stood by me throughout the campaigning to ensure my victory.

Was it tough to go against Congress which hadn’t lost an election in this parliamentary constituency since 1999?

It is not only a victory based on the performance of AAP but also an end to the dynasty politics being propagated in Jalandhar for decades by the Congress. The Chaudhary family had ruled the Doaba politics for decades.

What will be your priorities in the coming months?

The coming 11 months are crucial as I will take up key Jalandhar issues, be it the completion of the smart city project, implementation of Central welfare schemes and other key development projects which got halted due to political and administrative ignorance.