AAP defeat in Shahkot bypoll was 'writing on the wall': Khaira

Senior Punjab AAP leader Sukhpal Khaira today termed the party's defeat in the Shahkot bypoll as "writing on the wall" and that he along with Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann had suggested the leadership not to contest the by-election.

The ruling Congress today wrested the Shahkot Assembly seat by handing out a crushing defeat to the SAD in its stronghold after a gap of 20 years.

Congress's Hardev Singh Ladi trounced Shiromani Akali Dal's Naib Singh Kohar by 38,802 votes in the bypoll. The AAP's performance remained dismal as its candidate Rattan Singh Kakkar Kalan faced a humiliating defeat, securing just 1,900 votes.

"I and Bhagwant (Mann) had suggested the party in Delhi and Punjab not to contest the Shahkot bypoll as not much work had happened on the party's organisational structure.

"We had suggested the party not to contest the bypoll, rather... Focus on our organisational structure and raise people issue vociferously. But the party did not accept our suggestion and we had to go by what the party leadership decided," said Khaira, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly.

"Its (defeat) was writing on wall. We cannot win the election under these circumstances and we cannot give good performance," the legislator from Bholath.

Khaira also said the party "failed" to build up a campaign for the Shahkot bypoll.

"Those who took the responsibility during the bypoll could not build the campaign for the party," he said.

On whether Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's apology to SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia adversely hit the party in the state and eventually, led to its defeat, Khaira said it was one of the several reasons which affected thinking of the people about the party.

"People asked us that you fought vigorously on the drugs issue and then you took an U-turn," he said.

AAP chief Kejriwal tendered an apology for levelling charges of involvement in the drugs trade against Majithia in March following which the latter decided to withdraw the court case against him.

Khaira said the party leadership in Delhi "failed" to give the right to leaders in the state to take their own decisions.

"After the defeat in the 2017 assembly polls, many party leaders in Punjab sought that they should be given the right to take decisions concerning the state unit.

"Unfortunately, the party leadership in Delhi did not implement it. It appears that leaders in Punjab are taking decisions. But they are imposed on us," he said.

Ladi got 82,747 votes while Akali candidate Kohar polled 43,945 votes, said an official spokesman of election office.

The bypoll was necessitated after the demise of SAD MLA Ajit Singh Kohar in February.