Third consecutive defeat for Jassi in 5 yrs

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, March 11

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) general secretary Harminder Jassi today faced the third consecutive defeat in the past five years. In this election, Jassi contested from the Maur Assembly constituency.

He was defeated by AAP candidate Jagdev Singh Kamalu. He got only 23,087 votes and remained on the third spot even behind SAD candidate Janmeja Singh Sekhon. Kamalu got 62,282 votes and Sekhon polled 47,605 votes.

In 2014, he contested the Talwandi Sabo by-election and was badly defeated by SAD candidate Jeetmohinder Singh Sidhu by a margin of 46,642 votes. Sidhu polled 71,747 votes, Jassi got 25,105, AAP’s Baljinder Kaur 13,899 and independent candidate Balkar Singh polled 6,305 votes.

Even in 2012 Assembly elections, he contested on Congress ticket from Bathinda (Urban) seat and was defeated by SAD candidate Sarup Chand Singla with a margin of more than 5,000 votes.

Harminder Jassi is a relative of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Jassi was twice chosen MLA in the past — from Talwandi Sabo and Bathinda city. He also served as state minister and chairman of Markfed during the Congress rule earlier.

Political experts feel that the defeat was evident as Jassi shifted his base from Bathinda. Before that Jassi had shifted base from Talwandi Sabo to Bathinda.