Chandigarh: In the early trends of the counting of votes for the Punjab Assembly elections, including the defectors Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Fateh Singh Bajwa and Anil Joshi before the elections. Many candidates are trailing in their respective constituencies. As per the initial trends, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is leading in 89 out of the total 117 assembly seats, is poised to get an absolute majority in the state. Polling for the assembly elections in Punjab was held on February 20 and counting of votes is underway from 8 am on Thursday.
Just before the assembly elections, many leaders left their party and joined other parties in the hope of victory. Former sports minister Sodhi had left the Congress and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is the party’s candidate from the Ferozepur seat. Sodhi, a four-time MLA from Guru Har Sahai in Ferozepur, is trailing behind AAP’s Ranbir Singh in the Ferozepur seat. Former Congress leader Fateh Singh Bajwa is also trailing in Batala seat. He too had joined the BJP before the elections. AAP’s candidate Amansher Singh (Shari Kalsi) is leading over his nearest Congress rival Ashwini Sekhri in this seat. Fateh Singh Bajwa is the sitting MLA from Kadian, from where the Congress has fielded his elder brother and Rajya Sabha member Pratap Singh Bajwa.
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Former Punjab minister Anil Joshi had left the BJP and joined the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) last year. He is trailing behind AAP candidate Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh in Amritsar North seat. Joshi had won the Amritsar North seat in 2007 and 2012 on a BJP ticket. However, he had to face defeat in the 2017 assembly elections. Harjot Kamal, a former Congress leader who joined the BJP, is in the fray from the Moga assembly seat. He had joined the BJP after being denied a Congress ticket. AAP’s Amandeep Kaur Arora is leading over her nearest rival and Congress candidate Malvika Sood Sachar in Moga seat. Malavika is the sister of actor Sonu Sood.
Gainev Kaur leading from Majithia seat
Former Punjab minister and three-time MLA Joginder Singh Mann is in the fray from Phagwara seat. He had joined AAP ahead of the elections after breaking 50-year-long ties with the Congress. Congress candidate Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal is leading over Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Jasvir Singh Garhi in Phagwara seat. Sukhjinder Raj Singh Lali Majithia, who left Congress and joined AAP, is in the fray from Majitha assembly constituency. SAD’s Gainev Kaur Majithia is leading in Majitha seat. Raman Bahl, who left Congress and joined AAP last year, is the party’s candidate from Gurdaspur seat. SAD candidate Gurbachan Singh Babbehali is leading over Congress candidate and sitting MLA Barindermeet Singh Pahra in Gurdaspur seat. (agency)