Congress records vote share of 26.30 pc in Punjab

Chandigarh, Jun 4 (PTI) Despite winning seven of the total 13 seats in Punjab, the Congress party's vote share dropped to 26.30 per cent in comparison to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, as per ECI data.

The ruling AAP, which won three seats, recorded a vote share of 26.02 per cent, up from 7.38 per cent in the last parliamentary elections.

The vote share of BJP, which drew a blank in the elections, doubled to 18.56 per cent, as compared to 9.63 per cent in 2019, as per the data.

The Sukhbir Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which won only one seat, saw a drop in its vote share from 27.45 per cent in 2019 to 13.42 per cent in 2024 polls, as per election commission data.

In 2019, the Congress vote share was 40.12 per cent while vote share of BJP, SAD and AAP was 9.63 per cent, 27.45 per cent and 7.38 per cent respectively.

In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Congress party's vote share was 33.10 and SAD's was 26.30 per cent. AAP and BJP's vote share percentage was 24.40 and 8.70, respectively.

In the 2024 polls, the Congress won seven of the total 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in the high-stakes polls in Punjab, dealing a blow to the AAP, the BJP and SAD, though two independents including jailed radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh made a surprise entry into Parliament.

While the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party managed to register victory in three seats, the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal could win only one seat and the BJP drew a blank in the border state.

The Congress, which romped home to impressive victory on seven seats, appeared to have bounced back in the state's political landscape after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of the AAP in the 2022 Punjab assembly polls.

Prominent among the winners included Congress party's Charanjit Singh Channi, SAD candidate and three-time MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Congress candidate Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and AAP's Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer.

Besides, Amritpal Singh won as an independent from the Khadoor Sahib seat while independent candidate Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa registered victory from Faridkot seat.

While Amritpal, the chief of the 'Waris Punjab De' outfit, is currently lodged in Assam's Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act, Khalsa, the son of one of the two assassins of former prime minister Indira Gandhi. PTI CHS NB NB