AAP’s 2014 appeal fades in Faridkot

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, May 23

Prof Sadhu Singh of AAP, who won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Faridkot by a huge margin of 1,72,516 votes, managed to bag only 1,14,610 votes this time, finishing third.

Riding on the AAP euphoria in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Prof Sadhu, a political novice, had bagged 4,50,751 votes.

The AAP has failed to repeat its spectacular performance of 2014 in the Faridkot parliamentary constituency, consisting nine Assembly segments in Faridkot, Moga, Bathinda and Muktsar districts.

In the 2014 parliamentary elections, Prof Sadhu had an impressive victory margin in Faridkot, Jaitu, Kotkapura, Moga, Dharamkot, Baghapurana and Nihal Singh Wala Assembly segments. He had trailed only in Rampura Phul and Gidderbaha Assembly segments in 2014.

However, in the past five years, the party failed to retain its vote bank in all Assembly segments. “Not much engaging” attitude of the MP due to his poor health cost the party dear in all nine Assembly segments this time. Breaking the Congress-Akali rotation, the voters in Faridkot had voted for the AAP candidate in 2014. Prof Sadhu bagged 4,50,751 votes against the SAD candidate of 2,78,235 votes.

Avtar Singh, a former sarpanch, said, “In five years, Prof Sadhu could not improve the standard of basic amenities in the constituency like his predecessors.”

AAP MLA from Jaito Master Baldev Singh, who contested the Lok Sabha elections from Faridkot on Punjab Ekta Party ticket, could fetch only 43,794 votes.

A total of 21 candidates, including five Independent, contested the elections. Of them, 15 candidates bagged less than 5,000 votes. Parminder Singh of the Bharat Prabhat Party bagged minimum 799 votes in this parliamentary constituency. Jaswinder Singh bagged the maximum votes (4,909).