Punjab: Congress candidates fared poorly on assembly seats held by ministers, MLAs

Congress candidates on five Lok Sabha seats in Punjab "fared poorly" in some of the assembly segments represented by ministers including Manpreet Singh Badal, Aruna Chaudhary and some MLAs. Of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the Congress romped home to an impressive victory by winning eight while the SAD-BJP combine and the Aam Aadmi Party had to contend with four and one seat respectively.

The Congress candidates had to bite the dust on Sangrur, Gurdaspur, Bathinda, Ferozepur and Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seats which include assembly segments represented by ministers Manpreet Singh Badal, Aruna Chaudhary and some MLAs. Ahead of polls, the chief minister had issued a diktat to his ministers and legislators asking them to "perform or perish".

Amarinder Singh had announced that ministers would be dropped from the cabinet and legislators would not be given tickets in next assembly polls if they failed to ensure victory of party candidates in their assembly constituencies in the general election.

On Thursday, he said that the performance of ministers would be reviewed in the backdrop of the Lok Sabha results in the state.

"We will review the performance of the ministers, it was not a veiled threat made by the party before the elections," Amarinder Singh had told mediapersons. From Bathinda Lok seat, SAD nominee and union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal drubbed Congress candidate Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.

As per election commission data, Warring trailed in Bathinda Urban assembly segment (part of Bathinda Parliamentary seat) by 3,743 votes. Bathinda Urban is currently represented by Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal. From Sangrur parliamentary constituency, Congress candidate Kewal Singh Dhillon trailed in Sangrur assembly seat by 18,843 votes against AAP candidate Bhagwant Mann.

Sangrur assembly segment is represented by Punjab PWD minister Vijayinder Singla. AAP's Bhagwant Mann won from Sangrur seat as he drubbed Dhillon by a margin of 1,10,211 votes.

From Ferozepour parliamentary constituency, Congress candidate Sher Singh Ghubaya trailed in Guru Harsahai assembly segment by 7,630 votes. Punjab Sports minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi is an MLA from Guru Harsahai. Ghubaya was also trailing in Ferozeour city assembly segment which is represented by Congress legislator Parminder Singh Pinky.

Congress candidate Raj Kumar Chabbewal, who lost from Hoshiarpur parliamentary constituency, trailed in Hoshiarpur assembly segment by 8,804 votes against BJP's Som Parkash. Punjab Industry minister Sunder Sham Arora is a legislator from Hoshiarpur assembly constituency.

On Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat, Congress heavyweight Sunil Jakhar trailed in Bhoa, Pathankot, Gurdaspur and Dinanagar assembly segments. Punjab minister Aruna Chaudhary is an MLA from Dinanagar while Bhoa, Pathankot and Gurdaspur assembly seats are represented by Congress legislators Joginder Pal, Amit Vij and Barindermeet Singh Pahra.

BJP candidate Sunny Deol defeated Jakhar by over 82,000 votes.