Aam Aadmi Party’s giant-killer Jeevan Jyot Kaur, who defeated Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Majithia in the Punjab Assembly election, has said her victory was the “magic of Kejriwal’s Delhi model”.
It was Kaur’s first electoral battle—and victory—against two stalwart candidates who had never lost an election before. She polled 39,520 votes against 32,807 polled by Sidhu and 25,112 by Majithia on the Amritsar East seat.
Kaur is a social activist known as “padwoman” for her campaign promoting menstrual hygiene in Amritsar. She won her debut election as the AAP secured a historic mandate in Punjab. The party won 92 seats in Punjab Assembly. It is the first time that a party has won more than 90 seats in Punjab election.
Jeevan Jyot Kaur told India Today, “People have voted for the change in Punjab. It is the magic of Arvind Kejriwal’s Delhi model.”
“I am overjoyed that people have voted for a change. They have adopted the Delhi model. This is a victory for the common people.”
Kaur said, “Wherever I have been given responsibility, I have taken it. I want to be a good MLA. I will be with the people of Amritsar East.We have made a number of promises, and we need to keep them.”
“People have small demands. They want better roads and cleanliness,” she said.
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THE PADWOMAN OF AMRITSAR
Faced with an uphill political battle in Sidhu’s hometown of Amritsar East, Shiromani Akali Dal fielded party veteran Bikram Singh Majithia against him. The AAP fielded Jeevan Jyot Kaur, a social activist known for her work on menstrual hygiene.
Kaur has served as the chairperson of the SHE Society, a non-profit organisation dedicated to creating a drug-free society.
She has also been a long-time associate of the EcoShe Menstrual Health Programme, which aims to make Amritsar a cleaner and healthier city for women.
She has volunteered in Punjabi schools, slums, and rural areas to distribute environment-friendly sanitary pads. Kaur campaigned on Amritsar’s issue, refusing to deviate from it, relying on her groundwork.
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PUNJAB ELECTION
The AAP won a massive mandate in Punjab, while the Congress was reduced to just 18 seats in the state assembly. Its top leaders, Punjab unit president Navjot Singh Sidhu and Chief Minister Charanjit Channi, lost the polls to AAP candidates.
Only four cabinet ministers retained their seats Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Tript Bajwa, Sukhjinder Randhawa, and Rana Gurjeet Singh.
Former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, as well as Shiromani Akali Dal veterans Sukhbir Singh Badal, Parkash Singh Badal, and Bikram Majithia also lost the election to the AAP nominees.
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