Chandigarh, Dec 19 (IANS) Punjab Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) chief spokesperson Kuldeep Dhaliwal on Friday said by fixing January 19 for the hearing on Akali Dal leader Bikram Majithia’s bail petition, the Supreme Court has delivered a major legal setback to him.

After the High Court, now the apex court has also not granted any relief to the Akali leader, he said.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear Shiromani Akali Dal leader Majithia’s plea challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order, which denied him bail in a disproportionate assets case.

Meanwhile, Dhaliwal told the media that Majithia has suffered not only a legal but also a major political blow. In his own constituency, Majitha, which the Shiromani Akali Dal considered its stronghold, the people have completely rejected him in the Zila Parishad and Block Samiti elections. By winning three out of four Zila Parishad seats in Majitha, AAP has ended the Akalis’ 50-year-long dominance. Securing a clear majority in the Block Samiti, as well, is historic.

He said in Tarn Taran and Amritsar, the Akali Dal tried to win elections with the help of gangsters, but the peace-loving people of Punjab defeated this conspiracy.

“Last time we had won 16 Assembly seats in Majha, but the kind of public support we are receiving now, AAP will win more than 21 seats here in 2027 and create a new record. The entire Punjab is now standing firmly with governance free from hooliganism and corruption,” he said.

Targeting the Congress, Dhaliwal said big leaders like Pratap Singh Bajwa and Sukhjinder Randhawa were under the illusion that the Aam Aadmi Party was weak in Majha. They put in their full force, but AAP crushed the arrogance of the Congress. Out of a total of 79 Zila Parishad seats, AAP has registered a resounding victory on 58 seats.

He said the manner in which the people of Majha have put their stamp of approval on the policies of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann makes it clear that the days of traditional political parties are over in Punjab. The AAP leader said the results of these elections indicate the formation of an AAP government again in 2027.

–IANS

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