Punjab bypolls: Congress wins Phagwara, Jalalabad seats

The ruling Congress emerged victorious in the bypolls to the Phagwara and Jalalabad assembly segments on Monday. Congress candidate Raminder Awla defeated SAD nominee Raj Singh Dibipura by 16,633 votes from Jalalabad, considered an Akali bastion.

Earlier, the assembly segment was represented by Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was elected to the Lok Sabha in May this year. In Phagwara, which fell vacant after its sitting BJP MLA Som Parkash was elected to the Lok Sabha, Congress candidate and former IAS officer Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal defeated BJP nominee Rajesh Bagha with a margin of 26,116 votes.

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Congress, SAD leads

From Mukerian seat, Congress candidate Indu Bala was leading by 2,684 votes against her nearest rival and BJP nominee Jangi Lal Mahajan. From Jalalabad, Congress candidate Raminder Awla was also ahead of SAD candidate Raj Singh Dibipura by 9,071 votes. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Manpreet Singh Ayali was leading by a comfortable margin of 6,477 votes over his nearest rival and Congress nominee Sandeep Sandhu from Dakha assembly seat, as per early trends.

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(Edited by digital desk)