Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh lost the election today in an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sweep that left the Congress far behind and crushed heavyweight leaders across parties.
Amarinder Singh lost in his Patiala Urban constituency to AAP’s Ajit Pal Singh Kohli.
The 79-year-old, in a tweet, accepted defeat, saying “Democracy has triumphed”. He also congratulated the Aam Aadmi Party.
I accept the verdict of the people with all humility. Democracy has triumphed. Punjabis have shown true spirit of Punjabiyat by rising and voting above sectarian and caste lines.
Congratulations to @AAPPunjab and @BhagwantMann.— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) March 10, 2022
Congress leaders said the two-time Chief Minister’s defeat signals it was right about “the Captain” facing anti-incumbency in Punjab.
In the previous election in 2017, Singh’s victory margin had been 49 per cent.
For the “Captain”, the election defeat caps months of turbulence after the Congress replaced him as Chief Minister in September.
The Congress said it had acted on feedback from its Punjab leaders that Mr Singh was arrogant and inaccessible and that the party would face anti-incumbency if it fought the election under its leadership.
Singh, in a letter to party leader Sonia Gandhi, said he had been humiliated thrice by the leadership and couldn’t take it anymore. As the Congress decided to rally behind Navjot Sidhu, his rival in a dragging feud, Mr Singh walked out.
The 89-year-old warned his former party that he still had politics in him yet, and that he was not about to walk into the sunset.
Amarinder Singh floated his own party, the Punjab Lok Congress, and announced his alliance with the BJP.
With inputs from NDTV
Sidhu accepts people’s decision, congratulates AAP 