AAP Re-enters Lok Sabha From Punjab Via Jalandhar as Dera Outreach, Free Power Bring Out Voters

​For the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the battle for supremacy in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll had not only become a prestige issue but almost survivalist and the victory of its candidate has restored its presence in the Lok Sabha.

Party pick Sushil Kumar Rinku scored an impressive win and wrested the seat from the Congress with a margin of 58,947. The party’s lone seat in Lok Sabha (Sangrur) during the present term of Parliament was lost in a bypoll last year. The seat was represented by Bhagwant Mann, who had stepped down after becoming Punjab’s chief minister. After the shock defeat in Sangrur, which came just a few months after its spectacular win in the assembly polls, the party had been pushed to a must-win situation.

The party had gone all out for a win. Both Mann and party convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had carried out several rounds of roadshows. Not only this, every minister was given responsibility to manage voters in 10 villages each. Turning the Jalandhar bypoll into a prestige battle, almost all party MLAs and ministers remained stationed in Jalandhar. One minister each was made in charge of one of the nine assembly segments.

At the grassroots level, municipal councillors and sarpanchs were roped in to mobilise voters on the day of the poll. The voter turnout also suggested that while the AAP managed to bring out its voters, other parties failed to enthuse them. “It was almost like it was working like the BJP bringing in panna pramukhs to get voters out,” commented a leader.

What also worked in the party’s favour was the 300 units of free power to domestic consumers and filling up of long-standing vacancies in the government sector. The party managed to set aside an opposition onslaught over the Latifpura incident in Jalandhar, video leak and complaint of sexual misconduct by a minister and by a local party leader in Moga. The party also managed to negate the adverse publicity triggered by the blasts in Amritsar on poll eve.

Analysts believe that the party top leadership reaching out to significant ‘deras’ in a reserved constituency also worked to its advantage. The ‘deras’ command a huge sway over the electorate in the region. “Ours was a focused campaign and we knew our performance in the last few years should speak for itself. There is a groundswell of support for us and that’s what is reflected in this huge win,” said minister and poll in charge for the constituency, Harpal Cheema.

The AAP also managed to shrug off the image of a Delhi-controlled party during the campaign. While the strategy for the polls was worked out by Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, he chose to remain in the background making it look like a local leadership campaign. “The local leaders were at the forefront and they were the ones connecting to the voters. The charge of the opposition was completely dented,” commented a leader.