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Meet the AAP leaders who defeated Channi

March 11, 2022 01:20 IST

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was defeated by Aam Aadmi Party's first-timer and an eye surgeon from Bhadaur and Chamkaur Sahib seats, respectively.

IMAGE: Delhi CM and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal with party leaders Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai speaks during a celebration for the party's win in Punjab assembly polls, at the party headquarters, in New Delhi, on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo

Bhadaur AAP candidate Labh Singh Ugoke defeated Channi by a comprehensive margin of 37,558 votes.

Dr Charanjit Singh, an eye surgeon, trounced Channi by a margin of 7,942 votes from Chamkaur Sahib.

 

Channi represented Chamkaur Sahib thrice.

Ugoke, 35, comes from a humble background. His father is a driver, his mother works as a sweeper and he also ran a mobile repair shop.

Ugoke joined the AAP as a volunteer in 2013.

The Bhadaur Assembly segment in Barnala district shot into limelight when the Congress announced that Channi will be contesting from the seat besides Chamkaur Sahib.

By fielding Channi from Bhadaur, the Congress was eyeing electoral gains in Punjab's politically significant Malwa region, which has a good presence of the Dalits.

A Class 12 pass, Ugoke was confident of his victory from day one and had accused Channi of wearing a 'mask of common man'.

"There are 74 villages in my constituency and I know the problems of every village. For me, Bhadaur is not a 'halqa' (constituency) but my family. Channi sahab does not know the names of even 10 villages of Bhadaur seat," Ugoke had told PTI last month.

"Channi sahab is not an 'aam aadmi'. Even though he is from a Dalit family, he is living the life of a king," he had said.

In 2017, AAP's Pirmal Singh Dhaula won from the Bhadaur seat.

However, Dhaula joined the Congress last year. The Congress had won Bhadaur in 2012.

The Shiromani Akali Dal won this seat in 1997, 2002 and 2007.

CM Channi had to taste defeat from his home constituency Chamkaur Sahib in Rupnagar district.

Dr Charanjit Singh, an eye surgeon, trounced Channi by a margin of 7,942 votes.

In 2017, Dr Charanjit Singh, who runs a hospital in Morinda, was defeated by Channi by a margin of over 12,000 votes.

*****

Over half of Channi's ministers lose

Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and over half of his ministers have lost from the seats they were contesting as the Aam Aadmi Party stormed to power in Punjab on Thursday with an overwhelming majority.

The AAP scripted history by winning 92 of the 117 assembly seats while the ruling Congress suffered a severe drubbing.

Channi, who contested from Chamkaur Sahib in Rupnagar district and Bhadaur in Barnala, lost from both the seats to AAP candidates.

Channi was the sitting MLA from Chamkaur Sahib.

He had succeeded Amarinder Singh after his unceremonious exit as the chief minister in September last year.

While minister O P Soni was defeated by AAP's Ajay Gupta from Amritsar Central, Raj Kumar Verka lost to AAP's Jasbir Singh Sandhu from Amritsar West.

Manpreet Singh Badal suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of AAP's Jagroop Gill from Bathinda Urban seat.

From Sangrur, Vijay Inder Singla lost to AAP's Narinder Kaur Bharaj while Bharat Bhushan Ashu lost to AAP's Gurpreet Bassi Gogi from Ludhiana West.

Randeep Singh Nabha and Gurkirat Singh Kotli lost from Amloh and Khanna seats while Razia Sultana was defeated by AAP's Mohammed Jamil-ur-Rahman from Malerkotla.

Sangat Singh Gilzian was defeated by AAP's Jasvir Singh Raja Gill from Urmar seat.

However, seven Congress ministers managed to win.

They are Rana Gurjeet Singh, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Aruna Chaudhary, Pargat Singh, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.

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