CHANDIGARH: Punjab Congress (I) President Beant Singh took over as chief minister of Punjab on Tuesday as head of a Hindu minority government with the mandate of just 10.18% of the states 131,697.95 voters.

The call for a boycott of the February 19 election issued by Panthic commit fees and backed by Akali groups was responded to by Sikhs as well as a sizeable section of non-Sikhs on an unprecedented scale with the result that 78.42% /voters for Lok Sabha and 5.17% for the state Assembly kept off the poll.

The pol percentage issue had assumed great importance for both pro India parties and pro Khalistan panes, Whether Indian government throughts half a million strong armed forces in Punjab tried hard to achieve a 30% poll argent, the pro Khalistan groups did their best to ensure a thinner poll.

Election analysts agree that almost 99% Sikhs boycotted the election. The much touted mass base of the pro Delhi Akali Dal (Kabal) proved hopelessly insignificant with just 0.59% Sikhs opting for the party. The Congress (I) and other parties may have received another small insignificant number of Sikh votes,

The non-Sikh Dalit’s are about 19%. Christians and Muslims are 1.5% and 1% of Punjab’s population, Hindus are about 18%, Thus, the Beant Singh government does not appear to represent even all the Hindus either.

The Indian authorities tried their best to delay tabulation of election statistics and in the meanwhile issued misleading statements about the real response to the Sikh boycott. Even later the semiofficial news agencies the P and the U.N.L. did not issue any consolidated figures. Most Hindu newspapers are content to describe the Beant Singh government as a “popular government”. Given below are vital statistics about the election outcome: Punjab Assembly: Congress (I) won 87 seats; it polled 43.89% of the valid votes cast but the party’s polled votes Constitute only 10.18% of the total electorate of the state, These figures for other parties are Bahujan Samaj Party 9 seats; 16.20% and 3.98%. BJP 6 seats; 16.60% and 3.87%. Akali Dal (K) 3 seats, 5.23% and 1.81%. CPI. 4 seats: 3.84%and 0.79%. C.P (M) seat 2.73% and 0.62%. United CPI and others 6 seats.

Lok Sabha: Congress(I) won 12 of the 13 Lok Sabha seats it polled 50.88% of the votes cast which Constitute just 10.49% of the total votes in the state, The tally for other parties is: B.S.P.1 seat; 18.69% and 3.85%. BJP. No seat; 16.59% and 3.42%. CPL. No seat; 1.74% and0.35%C.P(M) No seat; 3.48% and0.71%, Akali Dal (Kabal) No seat; 2.87% and. 0.59%.

The names of the Congress (I) MPs are Raghunandan Lal Bhatia (Amritsar), Surinder Singh Kairon. (Tarn Taran), Sudhbans Kaur Bhinder (Gurdaspur), Kamal Chaudry (Hoshiarpur), Santosh Chaudhry (Phillaur), Yash Jalandhar), Harchand Singh (Ropar), Gurcharan Singh (Sangrur), Sant Ram Singla (Pati), Kewal Singh Bathinda),

Jag meet Singh Brar (Faridkot), and Gurcharan Singh Ghalib (Ludhiana).

The lone B.S.P.M.P. Dr. Mohan Singh won from Ferozepur by defeating Congress (I)s Santokh Singh Randhawa.

Captain Amarinder Singh is one of the three successful Akali Dal (K) candidates who won. But other important candidates Capt Kanwaljit Singh, Raja Narinder Singh, Baldev Singh Mann, Sujit, Singh Minhas and Kundan Singh Patang were defeated.

Other prominent winners to the state Assembly are Harcharan Singh Brar (Mukatsar), Birnla Dang (Amritsar West), M.M. Mittal (Nangal), Mohinder Singh Gill Banur). The prominent losers are Hans Raj Sharma, Harcharan Singh Here, Gurcharan Singh Nihal singh wala (Baghapurana).

Article extracted from this publication >> March 6, 1992