After defeat in the Sangrur bypoll, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday said the election result is contrary to the party's expectations, but it accepts the people's mandate. Addressing a press conference here, AAP Punjab chief spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang congratulated SAD (A) candidate Simranjit Singh Mann on his victory and said that the AAP candidate Gurmail Singh has lost in a very tough contest.
Kang said the AAP's vote share in this election has only reduced by 2% compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. While Akali Dal, Congress and BJP candidates have even failed to secure their security deposits in the Sangrur by-election.
Divulging the further details, Kang said that AAP got 34.65% of the votes, while the BJP got only 9%, Congress 11% and the Akali Dal 6% total share of votes in this polling. The Congress' vote share was 27% in the 2019 Lok Sabha, Akali Dal got 24% of the votes in 2019 and which indicates that the public is no longer with the traditional parties.
Stating that the party is not afraid of defeats, Kang said, "We are among the people and will continue to work for the welfare of the people. The party has seen many such defeats in the past. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, we did not get a single seat in Delhi, but in the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections, we formed the government by winning 67 out of 70 seats."
Kang said the party is taking the result of the Sangrur by-election very seriously. The party leadership will review it and consider it. The AAP leader cited the low turnout in the by-election as a major reason for its defeat.
He said lakhs of people did not cast their votes amid the ongoing paddy sowing season and extreme heat in Sangrur. "We will learn from this election and will work more industriously for the welfare of people. We will come back strongly," Kang added.