New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi suffered a major drubbing in the electoral battle to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) nominees. The strong AAP wave not only threw out Congress’s govt but also brought top-notch Cong candidates to its knees.
The incumbent CM lost both Bhadaur & Chamkaur Sahib seats to AAP candidates.
According to EC report, Channi was defeated by AAP’s greenhorn Labh Singh Ugoke on the Bhadaur seat by a margin of 37,558 seats.
What surprised people about the poll outcome was the shock defeat of Punjab CM by a mobile repair mechanic.
Ugoke had joined the AAP as a volunteer in 2013 and comes from a very humble background. His mother is a sweeper in govt school & father a driver.
He is himself a Class XII pass-out and he used to run a mobile repair shop before taking the plunge in Punjab politics. He lives in a 2 room house with his wife & parents.
When Ugoke hit the campaign trail, nobody knew that Punjab CM would bite the dust in Assembly polls but the AAP nominee was confident of a good show. Ugoke also hit out the CM & his humble background during electioneering. He said that Chief Minister was wearing only a mask of Aam Aadmi and not an Aam aadmi.
When he drew the attention of media for taking on CM Channi, he had said that he was a grassroots worker and it was he knew the problems of Bhadaur.
“There are 74 villages in my constituency and I know the problems of every village. Bahadur is not a constituency, it is my family. Channi Sahab does not know the names of even 10 villages of Bhadaur,” Ugoke had said.
During the election campaign, he kept the heat on Channi and accused the CM of ignoring his both constituencies Chamkaur Sahib & Bhadaur and people of the state will show their opinion in polls.
In the recently concluded Punjab elections, AAP has sprung a major surprise by winning a record 92 seats in the 117 member Assembly. Not just Ugoke, many of the AAP women candidates who won polls are greenhorns.
