The mandate reflected in the election results declared for assembly polls to five states has given the Bharatiya Janata Party a major boost ahead of the Lok Sabha elections scheduled to be held in 2024. The trends and results so far show the BJP in a comfortable position to retain power in Uttarakhand, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Goa, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has decimated its opponents in Punjab by registering a thumping win. Such was the AAP’s tsunami in Punjab that several bigshots lost the polls. Similar stories were also reported from Uttarakhand where the Congress failed to dislodge the BJP government.

Here are some of the prominent names that failed to make a mark in this election:

Captain Amarinder Singh: Former chief minister and Punjab Lok Congress candidate Amarinder Singh, who entered the poll fray in alliance with the BJP, lost from his traditional Patiala seat. Aam Aadmi Party candidate Ajit Pal Singh Kohli defeated Singh by 19,873 votes. “I accept the verdict of the people with all humility. Democracy has triumphed. Punjabis have shown true spirit of Punjabiyat by rising and voting above sectarian and caste lines. Congratulations to AAP and Bhagwant Mann,” said Singh.

Navjot Singh Sidhu and Bikram Singh Majithia: Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and his rival candidate Bikram Singh Majithia of Shiromani Akali Dal lost to AAP’s Jeevan Jyot Kaur. Kaur defeated Sidhu by a margin of 6750 votes. Sidhu accepted the defeat and Congratulated AAP. “The voice of the people is the voice of God …. Humbly accept the mandate of the people of Punjab …. Congratulations to Aap !!!” said Sidhu.

Sukhbir Singh Badal: Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal who contested the poll from his stronghold Jalalabad, lost to Jagdeep Kamboj of AAP. Badal was deputy CM Punjab between 2009 to 2017 and had won from the seat in 2012 and 2017. Reacting to his defeat, Badal said, “We whole-heartedly & with total humility accept the mandate given by Punjabis. I am grateful to lakhs of Punjabis who placed their trust in us & to SAD-BSP workers for their selfless toil. We will continue to serve them with humility in the role they have assigned to us. As president of Akali Dal, I congratulate Aam Aadmi Party and their leader Bhagwant Mann on their victory in the Punjab poll. I offer them my sincerest good wishes for success and I am sure they will live up to the people’s expectations,” he said.

Charanjit Singh Channi: Outgoing chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi who entered the poll fray from the Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur seats, lost from both constituencies. A third-time MLA from Chamkaur Sahib, Channi lost to AAP’s Dr Charanjit Singh from the seat by a margin of 7,942 votes. In Bhadaur, AAP’s Labh Singh Ugoke defeated Channi by a margin of 37,558 votes. CM Channi also congratulated the AAP. “I humbly accept the verdict of the people of Punjab and Congratulate Aam Aadmi Party and their elected CM Bhagwant Mann Ji for the victory. I hope they will deliver on the expections of people,” said Channi.

Harish Rawat: Congress leader and former chief minister Harish Rawat lost from the Lalkuwa seat to BJP’s Mohan Singh Bisht. This is the second consecutive defeat for Rawat who had also lost during the 2017 assembly elections. Bisht defeated Rawat by over 16,000 votes from the seat. Accepting his defeat, Rawat said, “Only a formal announcement of my electoral defeat from the Lalkuwa constituency is pending. I apologize to the people of the Lalkuwa area, which includes all the areas of Bindukhatta, Bareilly Road, that I could not earn their trust and I have missed the opportunity to fulfil the promises I made to them. They have selected the best candidate over me as their representative. Many congratulations to them.”

Pushkar Singh Dhami: In Uttarakhand, where the ruling BJP is all set to retain power by winning over 45 seats, it suffered a loss of face as sitting CM Pushkar Singh Dhami lost from the Khatima constituency. Bhuwan Chandra Kapri of Congress defeated Dhami by a margin of over 6,000 votes.