Sekhon actively campaigned for his family’s candidates. This proved how much influence he still has in Ferozepur, despite being arrested recently.
In Ferozepur, the group run by Gurpreet Singh Sekhon (a community worker) has become the centre of attention in the Punjab Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections. Sekhon’s (a former gangster) group won two major contests in Ferozepur and many voters were still waiting to hear their results on Wednesday.
Gurpreet Sekhon’s wife Mandeep Kaur Sekhon won the elections with 8,500 votes and Kuljeet Kaur Sekhon (another candidate) won her contest with nearly 3,500 votes. Sekhon thanked all voters for their support and promised to become a better person.
The other candidates from the Sekhon group were also able to celebrate their elections, despite Mr Sekhon himself being arrested during the election campaign due to intimidation charges against him. He was later released from jail following a Punjab and Haryana High Court’s ruling.
Sekhon’s group celebrated their victories, but reports of problems regarding counting votes in different areas were being reported. In Khanna, Ludhiana, SAD (Shiromani Akali Dal) protested on the road from Khanna to Malerkotla about how their results were being delayed even though they believed that their candidate Sonu Nagra was in the lead position in the Libra area.
There were mixed results for larger political parties as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lost in a number of prominent communities and villages. AAP lost to SAD candidate Jaswinder Kaur in Kurad Village (the village of MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hair), and in Bharaj Village (the village of MLA Narinder Kaur Bharaj) located in Sangrur, AAP lost to Congress by just 25 votes.
Additionally, AAP lost in Jagdev Kalan (the village of former minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal), and also in Sandhwan Village located in Kotkapura (the village of Speaker of the Punjab Assembly Kultar Sandhwan), where SAD candidate Mahinder Singh won by 171 votes. However, AAP did win in Satoj Village (the village of CM Bhagwant Mann) during the Block Committee elections in Sangrur District.
As counting is still taking place in many regions of the state, a clearer understanding of the political landscape in Punjab’s Local Bodies is expected to be available later today. Overall trends indicate that local leadership and village-level factors have been essential in determining how these elections will be won.
Arrest and Release of Gurpreet Sekhon Ahead of Polls
Gurpreet Singh Sekhon, a gangster who turned politician on December 12 ahead the Zila Parishad elections. Officials reported that this action was taken in order to keep the law and order intact and also to ensure that the polling process is conducted peacefully in the district.
Police officials described the move as a precautionary step, while Sekhon’s supporters alleged it was political targeting by the AAP government amid his rising popularity.
Hours after his arrest, hundreds of his supporters staged a protest at the Ferozepur–Ludhiana highway, blocking the road and raising slogans demanding his release. The standoff ended only after police assured no injustice would be done, and the protests were lifted.
Since his release, Sekhon has actively campaigned for his family’s candidates. This proved how much influence he still has in Ferozepur, despite the recent the recent arrest.
