19122025-JTR-01.qxd 12/18/2025 11:06 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune MP: SAHIBZADE ARE SPIRITUAL ICONS, NOT JUST CHILDREN JALANDHAR GIRLS BRING NATIONAL GLORY Girls from the city continue to shine at the national level in various sports tournaments. P3 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 20°C | MIN 10°C YESTERDAY MAX 21°C | MIN 7°C ACTRESS SREELEELA SLAMS DEEPFAKES, MISUSE OF AI Seechewal had written to the PM, HM Amit Shah urging them to rename Veer Bal Diwasas Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas. P2 FORECAST Actress Sreeleela has requested social media users not to support AI-generated nonsense. P4 » » SUNSET FRIDAY 5.28 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 7:21 AM » FRIDAY | 19 DECEMBER 2025 | JALANDHAR AAP tops tally in K’thala rural poll, bags 42 seats Rana-backed Inds upset ruling party in Sultanpur Lodhi Aparna Banerji Heavyweights Pargat, Vikramjit, Kotli, Khaira trail in Block Samiti battles Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 18 AAP has emerged a winner across 10 zones of the Zila Parishad and 88 zones of the Block Samitis of Kapurthala district - the total results of which were announced by the Kapurthala administration today. Of the collective Zila Parishad and Block Samiti results declared so far, AAP has won 42 seats and the Congress 27 seats. In Kapurthala district, out of 10 Zila Parishad zones, four were won by AAP three , were won by the Congress, two by independents and one by SAD. Meanwhile, out of 88 zones of five block samitis, 38 zones have been won by the Aam Aadmi Party (three seats won by AAP unopposed), 24 by the Congress, eight by SAD, 17 by Independents (16 of whom were backed by Sultanpur Lodhi’s Independent MLA Rana Inder Partap) and one by the BSP Rana Inder Par. tap’s group of Independents single-handedly derailed AAP’s winning streak in the Block Samiti polls at Sultanpur Lodhi and Fattu Dhinga, securing a clear majority in both samitis. In the Block Samiti elections whose results have been announced - at Kapurthala, out of 16 zones, 10 have been won by the Congress, four by the Shiromani Akali Dal and two by AAP; of 15 zones in Sultanpur Lodhi, eight have been won by Independents and Doaba Cong MLAs face reality check after setback in rural poll Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Rana Inder Partap with his father Congress MLA Rana Gurjit Singh celebrate victory of their candidates. BLOCK SAMITI BREAKDOWN BY BLOCKS Kapurthala Sultanpur Lodhi Fattu Dhinga Phagwara Nadala 16 zones 15 zones 15 zones 13 zones 22 zones Cong 10, SAD 4, AAP 2 AAP 7, Inds 8 AAP 7, Inds 8 AAP 6, Cong 5, SAD 4, BSP 1, Ind 1 AAP 13, Cong 9 seven by AAP; at Fattu Dhinga too, of 15 seats, eight were won by independents and seven by AAP; in Phagwara’s 20 zones, nine seats have been won by AAP five , by the Congress, four by SAD, one by BSP and one by an Independent and across Nadala’s 22 zones, 13 seats have been won by AAP and nine by the Congress. Decisive mandate to Rana In both Fattu Dhinga and Sultanpur Lodhi blocks of Kapurthala, Independents backed by Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Rana Inder Partap clinched 16 seats in the Block Samiti polls — eight in each block. This emphatic win wrested control from AAP , which managed seven seats in each block, falling short of a majority. The outcome positions Independents as decisive players in a rare phenomenon for panchayat elections and underscores the strong influence Rana, an Independent MLA, commands among his electorate. Sultanpur Lodhi, Fattu Dhinga, and Kapurthala— where Rana’s father, Rana Gurjit Singh, similarly mobilized Congress candidates — are the three Block Samitis in Kapurthala where AAP failed to secure a majority. Analysts attribute the Sultanpur and Fattu Dhinga verdicts largely to voter resentment against the state government’s handling of the recent floods in Sultanpur Lodhi. Jalandhar, December 18 The Block Samiti and Zila Parishad election results have given a reality check to the Congress MLAs of Doaba, who had been believing that they were comfortably positioned in their respective Assembly seats. Even though most of the party MLAs and halqa incharges are of the opinion that the elections have been hijacked by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and these were not contested fairly right from the time of filing of nomination papers to the counting centres, the ground workers want them to do some introspection. Among the MLAs of the party who seem to have trailed in their respective area are Pargat Singh from Jalandhar Cantonment, Vikramjit Chaudhary from Phillaur, Sukhwinder Kotli from Adampur and Balwinder Dhaliwal from Phagwara. Pargat’s candidates won five of 15 seats with the remaining going to AAP “The MLA per. haps took the election too lightly but he now needs to work more on the ground”, said a party insider. Confusion within the Congress cadres in Phillaur to go with MLA Vikramjit Chaudhary or MP Charanjit S Channi cost the party dearly. The party could win only five Block Samitis here out of 35 Cong protests hike in fee for NOC, CLU Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 18 The Congress on Thursday staged a protest at Company Bagh here against the government’s decision to increase the fee of No-Objection Certificate (NOC) and Change of Land Use (CLU). Rajinder Beri, president, District Congress Committee (urban), criticised the government’s move, stating that it’s a wrong decision and clear case of looting the public. Showing copies of the notification of the Directorate of Local Bodies, Punjab, he said, “The NOC fee for plots has been doubled from Rs 488 to Rs 865 per square yard. The fee per marla has been increased from Rs11,222 to Rs19,900. The government claims that the treasury is full, but it is increasing fees”. Congress workers hold a protest against AAP government in Jalandhar on Thursday. Beri further lambasted the government, “The increase has been made effective retrospectively from June, and those who applied after June have been asked to pay the increased fee. This is sheer exploitation of the people. We demand from the government to withdraw the notifi- cation”. The protest was attended by several party leaders, including Surinder Kaur, Prem Nath Dakoh, Rajesh Jindal, and others. The mother of AAP candidate Simran Kaur from Dhariwal Qadian offers her sweets after the results of Block Samiti poll were declared in Jalandhar on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO:MALKIAT SINGH with BSP gaining it majorly with 11 seats. Of the 40 zones of Block Samiti in Adampur and Bhogpur blocks, the Congress could bag only five in each of them. The AAP won on 18 seats in Adampur and eight in Bhogpur. Congress MLA Kotli maintains, “The counting process was not fair. Our counting agents had alleged that there was a lot of hanky panky. The administration had sided with the ruling party”. Firebrand MLA from Bho- lath Sukhpal Khaira too has been marginally down against AAP but he fought against the alleged oppression till the last hour. Of the 22 candidates of the Congress in Nadala block of Bholath, the papers of three had been AAP wins 22 of 25 ZP seats, Cong wins 3 Drug theft from sealed rehab centre raises questions Hoshiarpur, December 18 The District Election Officer said today that in the 25 zones of the Zila Parishad, 22 candidates from the Aam Aadmi Party and 3 candidates from the Congress emerged victorious. Similarly, in 191 out of 208 zones of the Panchayat Samiti, 127 candidates of the AAP 39 , Congress, 12 BJP 9 the SAD, 1 , of the the BSP and 3 Indepen, dents won the elections. District Election Officer Ashika Jain stated that 80 candidates contested the elections for the 25 zones of the Zila Parishad in the district, while out of the 208 seats of the Panchayat Samiti, 17 zones had already seen unopposed elections, and 582 candidates were in the fray for the remaining 191 zones. — OC Our Correspondent DISTT-WISE RESULTS OF BLOCK SAMITIS District Jalandhar Kapurthala Nawanshahr Hoshiarpur AAP 78 38 29 143 INC 61 24 33 40 PHAGWARA, DECEMBER 18 Serious questions have emerged over the safety and accountability of controlled medicines in public healthcare facilities after the Phagwara police registered a criminal case in connection with the alleged theft of de-addiction drugs from a sealed treatment centre in Phagwara. The FIR has been registered on the basis of a written complaint submitted by Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Dr Simardeep Kaur of the Civil Hospital, Phagwara, following the detection of a significant shortage of scheduled medication from Sehaj Hospital, a drug de-addiction centre that had been sealed earlier by the Health Department. BSP 19 1 7 1 SAD 18 8 9 9 BJP Ind 0 12 0 17 0 4 12 3 Total 188 88 82 208 rejected. Of the remaining 19, the party could win only nine. The AAP won on 13 zones. “The entire top AAP leadership had been orchestrating the plans against me. They tried to intimidate my candidates and workers by lodging According to official records, Sehaj Hospital was sealed on January 15 by a committee constituted by the health authorities and a complete inventory of medicines was prepared at the time of sealing. However, during a surprise inspection conducted on October 24, on the directions of the Civil Surgeon, Kapurthala, the inspecting committee found discrepancies in the sealed stock, indicating that medicines had gone missing despite the premises remaining sealed. In her complaint to the SHO, City Police Station, Phagwara, Dr Simardeep Kaur stated that the verification of records revealed a shortage of 5,000 tablets of Adnok-N, a regulated drug used in opioid de-addiction treatment. As per official FIRs against them. We have had to fight it out at every step”, said Khaira. The loss of the Congress in Bholath is also being attributed to the fact that the Shiromani Akali Dal has gone weak in the area. Former Akali minister Jagir Kaur could not field a single candidate. A weak SAD came as an advantage of AAP and became the loss of Khaira. Congress, however, did well in Shahkot, Nawanshahr, Kapurthala and Nakodar. inventory, 72,000 tablets were present at the time of sealing, while only 67,000 tablets were found during the later inspection. Following scrutiny of the complaint, inventory documents and annexed reports, the police concluded that a cognizable offence was made out and subsequently registered a case. DSP Bharat Bhushan stated that all original documents had been taken into possession and that investigation is underway. “The matter is being examined from all angles, including how the alleged theft occurred in a sealed premises and whether there were lapses in custody, supervision, or sealing protocols,” he said, adding that a police team has already visited the site. Bike mechanic shot dead near Woman drug peddler’s illegal structure demolished Adda Kaloya in Hoshiarpur Our Correspondent Tanda Urmar (Hoshiarpur), December 18 In a shocking incident, a mechanic was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants near Adda Kaloya on Thursday evening. The deceased has been identified as Baljit Singh Billa, a resident of village Kandhala Sheikha. He was running a motorcycle repair shop near Rasulpur Modh. The incident took place around 5 pm. Baljit Singh Billa had come to Adda Kaloya in his car along with his son. While he was returning to his car after buying a water bottle from a sweet shop at the adda, two persons on a motorcycle opened fire at him. He sustained gunshot injuries on the head and other parts of the body. He was immediately rushed to Waves Hospital, Tanda, where doctors declared him brought dead. The incident created panic in the area, and local shopkeepers immediately informed the police. Sources said the deceased had allegedly received threats from gangsters earlier, raising suspicion that the murder may be linked to organised crime. However, the exact motive behind the killing is yet to be confirmed. Kapurthala, December 18 The administration of Kapurthala demolished the illegal construction of a woman drug smuggler today on the orders of BDPO, Nadala. The structure, on the encroached panchayat land, was got built by Jagir Kaur, alias Billo, of Lakhan Khole. SSP Gaurav Toora said as per the orders issued by the BDPO, Nadala, it was stated that while participating in anti-social activities, Jagir Kaur had built a house on the panchayat land at c m y b Lakhan Khola. According to the BDPO, Jagir Kaur was repeatedly issued notices and asked to vacate it, but she did not leave the illegal occupation, due to which the help of the police was sought. SSP said eight cases of the NDPS Act had been registered against Jagir Kaur. The SSP said as per the strict instructions of the government, the police were committed to eradicating drug trafficking and no person involved in drug trafficking be spared. — TNS