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Time of India

BJP defeat: Bittu takes blame

Ludhiana: Union minister of state for railways and food processing Ravneet Singh Bittu on Monday took responsibility for the BJP's defeat in the Ludhiana West byelection, even as he praised party candidate Jiwan Gupta for putting on a strong fight and securing over 20,000 votes. Bittu congratulated Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Sanjeev Arora on his victory and expressed hope that he would deliver on promises made to the people of the constituency Bittu admitted to the delay in finalising a BJP candidate being a key factor for the party's loss. "The announcement of Jiwan Gupta's ticket was delayed as the party leadership was engaged with the Operation Sindhoor campaign. This hampered our campaign planning and visibility," he said. Bittu also pointed out that the low voter turnout of just 51.3% reflected lack of public interest in the election, particularly towards the ruling party. "Out of nearly 90,000 votes cast, the AAP candidate managed only around 35,000 votes. This clearly indicates that anti-AAP sentiment in the constituency is much stronger than the mandate they received," he said. Calling the BJP's performance "encouraging", Bittu said the byelection result should not be viewed as a setback. "This is not a defeat for the BJP. The people gave AAP a chance only because their govt still has around two years remaining. In the 2027 assembly elections, we are confident of winning this seat with a significant margin," he said. Bittu urged BJP workers not to be disheartened and continue their efforts on the ground. "We will get another opportunity in 2027, and we will come back stronger," Bittu said. MSID:: 122025192 413 |