In a significant setback for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, Avinash Jolly, former Deputy Mayor of Amritsar, announced his resignation from the party and his subsequent joining of the BJP in Amritsar on Tuesday amidst the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Sharing the news on X, BJP National Secretary Narinder Singh posted, “Avinash Jolly, former deputy mayor (Amritsar) along with hundreds of supporters joined BJP at Amritsar, Punjab.”
Punjab is set to conduct voting for its 13 seats in a single phase, with the seventh and final phase scheduled for June 1, covering constituencies including Gurudaspur, Amritsar, Khadoor Sahib, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Nandpur Sahib, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot, Firozpur, Bathinda, Sangrur, and Patiala.
Nominations for the Lok Sabha elections in Punjab began on May 7, with the Election Commission of India (ECI) appointing general and police observers for the 13 seats to ensure a peaceful, fair, and transparent electoral process. These officials will commence their duties from May 14, as per a press release from the Punjab Information and Public Relations Department.
Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C informed that 13 IAS officers from various states have been designated as general observers, while seven IPS officers have been appointed as police observers. Their responsibility lies in ensuring compliance with ECI regulations during the elections, particularly regarding the Model Code of Conduct.
Despite being partners in the opposition INDIA bloc, the AAP and the Congress have decided against forming any seat-sharing agreement in the state.
In the previous Lok Sabha Elections of 2019, the INC-led UPA alliance secured eight seats with a vote share of 40.6%, while the NDA managed to secure four seats with a voting percentage of 9.7%. The AAP, making its debut, secured one seat.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and AAP each won 4 seats, while Congress secured 3 seats. The BJP managed to secure only two seats.
The third phase of the general election concluded with the polling for 93 Lok Sabha seats across 12 states and union territories on Tuesday. Vote counting is scheduled for June 4.