Rupinder Kaur Ruby was an AAP MLA from Bathinda Rural in 2017, but she left the party just before the 2022 elections, joined the Congress, and was made its candidate from Malout. The gamble failed, she secured only 17,652 votes (12.68%), far from the main contest.
रुपिंदर कौर रूबी 2017 में बठिंडा रूरल (ग्रामीण) से आम आदमी पार्टी की विधायक थीं, लेकिन 2022 के चुनाव से ठीक पहले उन्होंने "आप" छोड़कर कांग्रेस जॉइन कर ली और उन्हें मलोट से कांग्रेस का उम्मीदवार बनाया गया। यह दांव कामयाब नहीं रहा और उन्हें सिर्फ 17,652 वोट (12.68%) ही मिले, जिससे वह मुख्य मुकाबले से काफी दूर रहीं। यह एक सीधा सवाल खड़ा करता है।
Sukhjeet Singh Kaka Lohgarh finished a distant second in 2022 in Dharamkot with 35,406 votes (24.9%), well behind AAP’s sweeping victory and only narrowly ahead of the Akalis. The numbers show presence, but not momentum. This raises a sharp question: Was Lohgarh held back mainly by a weak Congress wave or did he fail to turn personal visibility into a winning push on the ground ? And with 2027 approaching, does this vote base offer a platform to grow or does it mark the ceiling of his appeal in a seat moving fast toward new political centres ?
