Lagatar24 Desk
Jalandhar: In a decisive victory, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Mohinder Bhagat has won the bypoll for Punjab’s Jalandhar West constituency. The results, announced on Saturday, July 13, revealed Bhagat secured the seat by a substantial margin of 37,325 votes, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Sheetal Angural and Congress party’s Surinder Kaur.
Jalandhar West, a scheduled caste reserved constituency, previously represented by AAP legislator Sheetal Angural, became vacant following Angural’s resignation on March 28, a day after joining the BJP. Angural’s subsequent request to withdraw his resignation was not accepted, necessitating the bypoll.
Mohinder Bhagat, 64, who switched from the BJP to the AAP last year, was fielded as the party’s candidate. Bhagat is the son of former cabinet minister and veteran BJP leader Chunni Lal Bhagat. Despite running unsuccessfully in the 2022 assembly elections from the same constituency as a BJP candidate, Bhagat’s perseverance paid off in this bypoll.
Having contested twice from Jalandhar West on a BJP ticket, Bhagat’s political career includes serving as chairman of the Medium Industries Development Board of Punjab from 2007 to 2011. He also held the position of BJP’s Punjab vice-president from 1998 to 2001 and again from 2017 to 2020.
The AAP’s triumph in this bypoll adds to its stronghold in the Punjab Legislative Assembly, where it holds 90 of the 117 seats. The opposition Congress has 13 seats, while SAD holds three, BJP two, BSP one, and independent candidates account for three.
In the 2022 elections, Sheetal Angural had won the Jalandhar West seat on an AAP ticket, defeating Congress nominee Sushil Kumar Rinku by a margin of 4,253 votes. During that election, Mohinder Bhagat polled 33,486 votes, while Angural received 39,213 votes, and Rinku garnered 34,960 votes. The Shiromani Akali Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Anil Meena received 4,125 votes.
Polling for the by-election took place on July 10, following the nomination process from June 14 to June 21. Bhagat’s victory marks a significant political shift in the constituency, reflecting the dynamic nature of Punjab’s political landscape.
