Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Ontario, Seven Punjabis have made it to Ontario’s Queen Park (Parliament) in the provincial elections with the Progressive Conservative Party (PC) making a comeback after 15 years, unseating the Liberals.
The PC headed by Doug Ford—as expected—fared extremely well, winning 76 of the total 124 seats. The Liberals with just seven seats lost the “official party” status. The NDP headed by Jagmeet Singh, a Sikh hardliner, bagged the second spot with 40 seats.
Jagmeet Singh’s brother Gur Ratan Singh (NDP) won from Brampton (East), defeating Sudeep Verma of the PC. Having held the seat earlier, the NDP chief left no stone unturned to ensure his brother’s win. Sara Singh of the NDP, who originally hails from Ropar, won the Brampton (Centre), defeating Harjit Jaswal of the PC. Prabhmit Singh Sarkaria of the PC wrested Brampton (South), defeating Parmjit Gill of the NDP. Amarjot Singh Sandhu of the PC defeated Jagroop Singh of the NDP in Brampton (West). Param Gill of the PC won from Milton, defeating Indira Naidu of the Liberals.
Deepak Anand of the PC stole the show in Missisagua-Malton, defeating Nikki Clark of the NDP. Neena Tangri (PC) defeated Jacqueline Gujarati of the NDP in Missisagua-Streetsville.
Harinder Malhi, the lawmaker behind 1984 genocide motion in the Ontario Provincial Parliament in 2016, was among the prominent losers.
The Ontario polls were fought on three issues — rising electricity rates, inadequate healthcare and high auto insurance rates. “People were looking for new viable alternatives as they were fed up with the 15-year-long rule of the Liberals,” said Manan Gupta, a community activist. Kathleen Wynne, the Liberal leader and Ontario Premier, had conceded defeat a week prior to the voting on June 7.
