Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday said the Congress candidate’s landslide victory in the Shahkot bypoll has laid the foundation for an anti-Modi wave across the country.

Addressing a thanksgiving rally at the local grain market in Shahkot (Jalandhar), the CM said as the Congress has won the Assembly seat only twice in past 52 years since the new Punjab was formed in 1966 after Haryana and Himachal were carved out of the state.

“Before this, we (Congress) won the Shahkot only in 1992 when the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) boycotted the Assembly polls. So this (bypoll) victory is first in 52 years,” Amarinder said.

He said this Congress victory in Shahkot by a margin of 38,000 votes is having impact in other states too. Amarinder said the Congress victory in Shahkot will have its impact in coming Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh.

On the occasion, the CM announced development projects to the tune of Rs 2140 crore for Jalandhar and Shahkot, as a gesture of gratitude to the people for ensuring the Congress candidate’s landslide victory in the Shahkot bypoll.

The CM said the Congress was indebted to the voters of the Shahkot assembly segment, who had ensured a sweeping victory for the party’s candidate, Hardev Singh Laddi, to secure 2/3rd majority for Congress Party in the Punjab Assembly.

He assured the people that funds would not be allowed to hamper the development of Shahkot, which had witnessed no progress under the Akali regime. The projects announced today were just the beginning of the advancement of the region and its people, he added.

Underlining his government’s commitment to strengthening school infrastructure in Shahkot, the CM announced allocation of Rs Seven Crore for establishment of three Smart Schools and 32 Digital Class Rooms.

Amarinder announced an equal amount for free medicines and free lab tests (55) as a step towards strengthening the health infrastructure in the region.

Reiterating his government’s commitment to providing safe drinking water to the people, Amarinder announced bifurcation of the existing water supply schemes to provide separate water supply schemes for various villages.