'People of Gurdaspur have sent a strong message of their resentment to policies pursued by Modiji-led Centre,' Jakhar said.? Photograph:( ANI )
The Congress's Sunil Jakhar has won the Gurdaspur bypoll by close to two lakh votes.
The BJP came in second, and the AAP third.
Punjab: Congress's Sunil Jakhar wins #GurdaspurLokSabhaBypoll by 1,93,219 votes pic.twitter.com/rZMlF9qTvX
— ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2017
#Punjab Congress: 4,99,752, BJP 3,06,533, AAP 23,579 votes.#GurdaspurLokSabhaBypoll
— ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2017
Counting began this morning. The bypoll -- necessitated by the death of the BJP's Vinod Khanna -- took place on October 11.
Punjab: Congress workers and leaders celebrate as party leads by more than 1 lakh votes in #GurdaspurLokSabhaBypoll pic.twitter.com/gYlPec5EKG
— ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2017
The Gurdaspur bypoll is being seen as a referendum on Punjab's six-month-old Congress government.
Jakhar himself had billed the bypoll as a referendum on the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre and its policies.
"People of Gurdaspur have sent a strong message of their resentment to policies pursued by Modiji-led Centre," ANI reported Jakhar as saying.
Ppl of Gurdaspur have sent a strong message of their resentment to policies pursued by Modi Ji led Centre: Sunil Jakhar #GurdaspurByPoll pic.twitter.com/6JMxqdHK0k
— ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2017
"This is a beautiful Diwali gift, packed with a red ribbon, for our would-be party president Rahul Gandhi," ANI reported Navjot Sidhu, who recently joined the Congress from the BJP, as saying.