CHANDIGARH: The Akali Dal (Badal) BSP combine has asserted its supremacy in Punjab grabbing 11 out of a total of 13 Lok Sabha seats in a normal election free from the fear of the gun.
The BJP had extended tactical support to the Akali Dal (Badal) in four seats while putting up its own candidates in some others.
At the personal level, Akali Dal (Badal) president Parkash Singh Badal has proved that he is the undisputed leader with the victory of his son, Sukhbir Singh Badal, who defeated Kanwaljit Kaur Brar (Babli Brar), daughter of Chief Minister Harcharan Singh Brar, by 37,416 votes in Faridkot in a three corner contest. The seat witnessed the toughest contest between the two most commanding political families in the state. For Badal, the election was a mandate for the future chief minister ship.
BSP supremo Kanshi Ram trounced sitting MP Kamal Chaudhary of Congress by a margin of 10,946 votes in Hoshiarpur. Chaudhary had been winning this seat since 1985. Former chief minister and Akali Dal (Badal) Candidate Sujit Singh Barnala, who has come to symbolize the moderate Akali politics, humbled his nearest rival Simranjit Singh Mann, president of Akali Dal (Amritsar) who represents the radicals, by a margin of 76,440 votes in Sangrur.
The Akali Dal (Badal) established the biggest load of 92,231 votes in Bathinda where its candidate Harinder. Singh Khalsa, a former Indian Forcing Service officer who resigned in protest against Operation Bluestar, defeated Congress candidate Sarbjor Singh, son of hawala tainted former Union Minister Buta Singh.
In Ludhiana, Akali Dal (Badal) can did ate Amrik Singh Aliwal, a youths leader, defeated ruling party’s Jaswant Kaur, widow of slain chief minister: Beant Singh, by a margin of 65, 114 votes.
‘The two Union Ministers of state Raghunandan Lal Bhatia and: Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder are the only” two Congress candidates who have staged a comeback. Bhatia defeated? Kirpal Singh of Janata Dal supported} by the Akali Dal (Badal) BSP com: bine by 33,644 votes.
Bhinder defeated her nearest rival Jagdish Sahni of the Bharatiya Janata party by a margin of 76,547 votes. In the border area constituency of Tam Taran, once the hotbed of militancy, Major Singh Uboke of Akali Dal (Badal) defeated sitting MP Surinder Singh Kairon of the Congress by 33,853 votes. Darbara Singh of the Akali Dal (Badal) won from Jalandhar defeating sitting MP Umrao Singh of the ruling party by 18, 585 votes.
Akali Dal (Badal)’s Basant Singh Khalsa defeated Shamsher Singh Rai of Congress by 71,091 votes in Ropar.
In Patiala, Prem Singh Chandumajra of Akali Dal (Badal) trounced sitting MP Sant Ram Singla of the Congress by a margin of 50,892, Sitting BSP MP from Ferozepur Mohan Singh Jallianwala romped home defeating ruling party’s Sunil Jakhar, son of another hawala tainted former Union minister Balram Jakhar by a margin of 59,912 votes.
In Phillaur, Harbhajan Lakha of the BSP defeated sitting MP Santosh ‘Chaudhary of the Congress by 49,867 votes.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 15, 1996
