View source for Punjab: Assembly elections

=2022=
==The results==
[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/article-share?article=11_03_2022_018_006_cap_TOI  Vibhor Mohan, March 11, 2022: ''The Times of India'']

[[File: The results of the elections held in 2022 for the legislative assembly of Punjab.jpg|The results of the elections held in 2022 for the legislative assembly of Punjab. <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/article-share?article=11_03_2022_018_004_cap_TOI  March 11, 2022: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]

'''See graphic''':

'' The results of the elections held in 2022 for the legislative assembly of Punjab. '' 


Chandigarh: “We urged the voters ‘jhadoo chalao’, unhone toh vacuum cleaner chala diya. ” AAP’s Raghav Chadha pretty much summed up the feeling not only within the party but also among pollsters and the opposition parties, reduced to also-rans. The Aam Aadmi Party, which promised quality health and educational services on the lines of Delhi, overrode politics of caste, regionalism and Deras to bag a whopping majority of 92 seats in the 117-member House. 
 The feuding Congress was reduced to 18 seats and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) got three seats, while Bahujan Samaj Party and an independent bagged one each. Sanyukt Samaj Morcha, the political outfit of farmer bodies, failed to make a dent. Even its leader Balbir Singh Rajewal failed to open his account. 

 The electoral landslide also crushed several bigwigs, including former CMs Charanjit Singh Channi, Parkash Singh Badal, Amarinder Singh and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal. Eleven of Congress’ 18 cabinet ministers lost, as did the party’s state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. In fact, the defeat margin of 50% of the cabinet ministers was substantially higher than their victory margins in 2017. Those who won are Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa (Dera Baba Nanak), Rana Gurjeet Singh (Kapurthala), Amrinder Singh Raja Warring (Gidderbaha), Pargat Singh (Jalandhar Cantonment), Aruna Chaudhary (Dinanagar), Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria (Raja Sansi), and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa (Fatehgarh Churian). Rana Gurjeet’s son, Rana Inder Partap Singh, who contested as an independent from Sultanpur Lodhi, also won. 
Soon after the win — in a second state within a decade of AAP’s formation — the party’s co-incharge of Punjab affairs Raghav Chadha said, “In the coming days, AAP will emerge as the national and natural replacement of Congress”. 

AAP’s sweep was mostly silent, powered by a call for change following the disillusionment with the traditional parties. The announcement of Bhagwant Mann as its chief ministerial face helped consolidate its vote share in the crucial Malwa region. Congress’ bet on Channi to woo the sizeable SC population too failed to cut much ice with the voters. AAP’s appeal extended well beyond Malwa too, as it hit out at the traditional parties for “looting” the state and sought “Ik Mauka” (one chance) to resurrect Punjab, promising to crack down on the sand and liquor mafia. The party won 16 of the 25 seats in the Majha region and 10 of 23 seats in Doaba. In 2017, AAP had failed to win even a single seat in Majha and had managed only two seats in Doaba. Besides, the party won in the Chandigarh civic body elections on debut. 

The AAP leadership also seemed to have learnt its lessons from the 2017 debacle, and it made a conscious attempt not to let its campaign peak too early, besides maintaining safe distance from the Punjabi NRI groups supporting the radicals. 

“This time, several winning candidates of AAP played giant killers, but they too realised that people voted for the party’s election symbol (broom). Similarly, many didn’t even consider AAP in the reckoning on hot seats like Amritsar (East), Lehra and Patiala but the broom’s magic worked,” said an AAP leader. Sidhu and SAD’s Bikram Singh Majithia contested from Amritsar (East); Bhattal from Lehra and former CM Amarinder from Patiala (Urban).

[[Category:India|P PUNJAB: ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS
PUNJAB: ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS]]
[[Category:Politics|P PUNJAB: ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS
PUNJAB: ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS]]