The car of an AAP MLA was surrounded in Shahkot, and the police detained the MLA amidst clashes between AAP and Congress workers in Rupewala village. Meanwhile, the voting for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll continues. Hardev Singh Ladi Sherowalia, Congress MLA from Shahkot, alleged that the AAP MLA from Baba Bakala, Dalveer Singh Tong, was roaming in Jalandhar on the day of voting, which is against the Election Commission's rules that prohibit outsiders from influencing the voters. Despite this, the MLAs are trying to influence the voters in the area.
AAP leaders alleged that Congress workers were responsible for the heckling, which led to MLA Tong being locked in a room. When the police arrived, they freed the MLA and took him to the police station. In Jalandhar North, there were clashes between Congress and Aam Aadmi Party workers. Congress workers claimed that some Aam Aadmi Party members had broken their booths. People in the area say that those who attacked the booths were all drunk.
According to Mandeep Kaur, she was sitting at her booth when her brother Bobby and his companions attacked her without any provocation. Mandeep Kaur reported that her clothes were torn and her gold chain was snatched. She also said that her brother and Ganji had threatened to kill her and her son by evening. In her complaint to the police, she stated that if anything happened to her or her son, it would be the responsibility of Ganji and Bobby. Meanwhile, someone reported that the head of a BJP worker at the booth was beheaded. On the other hand, Aam Aadmi Party leader Dinesh Dhall claimed that the incident was a minor argument.
Jalandhar bypoll witnesses low 29.5% voter turnout by 1 pm
The by-election in Jalandhar was called after the death of MP Santokh Singh Chowdhary in January of this year, during Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra. The votes will be counted on May 13th, and there are 1,972 polling stations in this Lok Sabha seat, comprising assembly constituencies, with a total of 16,21,759 registered voters in the district.
AAP candidate Sushil Rinku arrived to cast his vote in Jalandhar West and called Congress candidate Karmjit Kaur Chowdhary a traitor. He accused her of investing all her funds in the Phillaur assembly, rather than in all nine constituencies, to further the political career of her son Vikramjit Chowdhary. Congress candidate Karmjit Kaur also cast her vote and encouraged voters to vote for the ideology that they believe would be beneficial for the country and Punjab. Akali-BSP candidate Dr. Sukhwinder Sukhi expressed optimism for his party's prospects, noting that there is enthusiasm among the workers of Akali Dal and BSP.
The Congress party's challenge is to maintain its stronghold in this by-election, having won here for the last four consecutive times. The Aam Aadmi Party faces a challenge to preserve its image after losing the Sangrur elections. If they lose this election as well, questions will be raised about the government's functioning. For this reason, the AAP has given a ticket to former Congress MLA Sushil Rinku by joining the party. The BJP's challenge is to overcome the discontent that arose after the farmers' movement, and they have fielded former Akali MLA Inder Iqbal Atwal as their candidate. The Akali Dal faces a challenge to maintain its presence after losing two consecutive assembly elections in Punjab. The party has also joined forces with the BSP in these elections, with a total of 19 candidates in the fray, including 15 male and 4 female candidates. There are also 73 NRI and 41 transgender voters in the constituency