Punjab Election Results 2022 | Congress CM Charanjit Singh Channi loses both assembly seats

Congress leaders Navjot Singh Sidhu (centre) and Charanjit Singh Channi (left).

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has lost the election from both seats – Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur  – that he contested in state assembly elections, the counting of which is underway.

In Chamkaur Sahib seat, which he has represented for three consecutive terms until 2017, Channi was defeated by his namesake Dr Charanjit Singh Channi of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) by about 6,000 votes.

The AAP's Dr Channi got 58,999 votes against CM Channi’s 53,395 votes, according to the latest numbers by the Election Commission of India.

Channi was appointed as Punjab chief minister by the Congress three months ahead of the elections to the 117-member house.

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In 2017, Chamkaur Sahib was one of 77 seats won by the Congress party. Channi had won the election by defeating AAP’s Dr Charanjit Singh by a margin of 12,308 votes.

The AAP is headed for a landslide victory unseating the Congress in Punjab as it was leading in at least 92 seats against the Congress party’s 17 seats in the 117-member house.

Singh also lost from the Bhadaur assembly seat. He was defeated by Aam Aadmi Party’s Labh Singh Ugoke by a margin of over 36,000 votes. Channi got 26,199 votes while Ugoke got 63,163 votes as per the Election Commission of India’s latest numbers

Bhadaur seat, in Punjab’s Barnala district, shot to prominence this election when CM Channi decided to contest from here. In the 2017 assembly election, Pirmal Singh Dhaula of the AAP defeated Sant Balvir Singh Ghunas of Akali Dal by over 20,000 voters.

Channi had taken a risk by fielding himself from Bhaduar as it was not considered a safe seat for the CM since Congress had won here only once in the last 50 years.