Jeevan Joyt Kaur: Padwoman who turned AAP giant slayer in Amritsar East
By Asia Samachar | Punjab |
A padwoman-turned-giant slayer and 19 medical doctors are among the winners in the 2022 Punjab state elections that saw Aam Admi Party (AAP) romping home in a history victory.
The Arvind Kejrival-led party won 92 of the 117 seats in the state assembly of the northern Indian state, announced on 10 March.
Jeevan Jyot Kaur, a first time candidate for a state elections, made heads turn when she came out on top in Amritsar East in what was supposed to be a battle royale between two Punjab political heavyweights: Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD) Bikramjit Majithia.
“People have voted for a change. I believe that a leader becomes big through their work, but they (big leaders) have not even done the minutest of people’s work,” one media report quoted the 50-year old philanthropist hailing from Hoshiarpur.
Jeevan Jyot picked up the padwoman moniker after a menstrual health programme very much associated with her. Shri Hemkunt Education Society (SHE), which she founded in the mid-1990s, distributes eco-friendly sanitary napkins in prisons, schools, slum areas and rural places in Punjab.
When the tallies came in, AAP won 92. The Congress mustered only 18 seats while Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) three, BJP two and BSP one.
RELATED STORY: It is Aam Aadmi Party all over Punjab
AAP’s winners’ list also consisted of six MBBS doctors, two pulmonologists, four opthamologists and a dentist, probably the highest number of doctors in any state assembly till now in India.
Bigwigs fell aside like twigs this time around.
Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi from the Congress lost in both seats contested. He lost the Bhadaur seat to Labh Singh Ugoke, 35, who runs a mobile shop repair shop. Ugoke’s father is a driver and his mother works as a sweeper.
Punjab’s almost permanent political fixture and former CM Parkash Singh Badal from SAD lost his Lambi seat to AAP candidate Gurmeet Singh Khudian. His son Sukhbir Singh Badal, the CM-candidate for SAD, also lost. And so did former CM Capt Amarinder Singh who left Congress to set-up a rival party.
The AAP state government, to be led by chief minister designate Bhagwant Singh Mann, will take oath on March 16.
Bhagwant Singh Mann (left) and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal in a social media posting ahead of the Punjab 2022 state elections
RELATED STORY:
AAP all set to break Akali Dal – Congress long stranglehold over Punjab (Asia Samachar, 10 March 2022)
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here
Hope this will bring a welcome change for Punjab.
Bless all
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