Farmers Movement Archive

Congress steals the show in Majha, defeats BJP in Pathankot

The ruling Congress swept the civic body elections in the Majha region, comprising Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Taran districts, by winning 13 of the 16 municipalities. Three civic bodies, namely the Majitha nagar council, Qadian nagar council and Ajnala nagar panchayat, were won by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). In Majitha, former state minister Bikram Singh Majithia’s home turf, the Akalis managed to win 10 of the 13 seats. However, Ajnala witnessed a tough fight between the SAD and the Congress. The SAD candidates won eight wards and the Congress seven. The SAD won seven of the 15 wards in Qadian. The other civic bodies of Rayya, Jandiala and Ramdas in Amritsar district were won by the Congress. Its candidate won the Amritsar municipal corporation’s ward number 37 byelection. BJP faces farm protest heat in Pathankot The Congress defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party in its bastion of Pathankot district mainly due to the backlash the BJP is facing amid the farmers’ protest against the three farm laws. The Congress won 37 of the 50 wards, while the BJP managed to retain only 11 wards of the Pathankot municipal corporation. In Pathankot district’s Sujanpur nagar council, the Congress won eight of the 15 wards. The BJP and Independent candidates won five and two seats, respectively, in Sujanpur. The BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) put up a dismal show in Majha as they failed to win a single municipality. Gurdaspur goes the Congress wayIn Gurdaspur district, the Congress registered a thumping win, bagging the nagar councils of Gurdaspur, Dhariwal, Hargobindpur, Fatehgarh Churian and the municipal corporation of Batala. Gurdaspur district public relations officer Harjinder Singh Kalsi said the Congress won five of the six municipalities in Gurdaspur. In Tarn Taran district, the Congress won the Bhikhiwind nagar panchayat and Patti nagar council. Both the municipalities in Tarn Taran witnessed clashes on polling day. The AAP, which managed to win only two wards in Patti, alleged bogus voting and booth capturing.

Hindustan Times

17-02-2021

Chandigarh