In Punjab political war, a Captain gets the better of a General

Chandigarh: It was a battlefield of a different kind where a former Army Captain defeated a former Army General.

In the high-profile battle for the Patiala-Urban assembly seat, Captain Amarinder Singh of the Congress got the better of former Army chief Gen. J.J. Singh, fielded by the Shiromani Akali Dal.

While Amarinder won the seat by a huge margin of over 52,000 votes over his nearest rival Balbir Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the General fared badly in his first political outing.

The former General not only lost the election, finishing a poor third, but even forfeited his security deposit.

The ex-General, who also remained Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, polled only 11,677 votes, compared to Amarinder's 72,586 votes.

"A victorious Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday came home to a grand welcome from his family members and constituents in Patiala, from where he has created military history by becoming the first Captain to defeat a General," Amarinder's spokesman said in Patiala, 60 km from here.

"General J.J. Singh failed even to save his security deposit, clearly underlining the huge popularity of the Punjab Congress president in his hometown," the spokesman said.

Amarinder, who is being credited with scripting the landslide Congress victory in Punjab, was greeted by a cacophony of drum beats and slogans by enthusiastic crowds that had lined up to welcome him in hometown Patiala.

Flanked by his wife Preneet Kaur, Amarinder visited the Gurdwara and temple at Burj Baba Ala Singh at the historic Qila Mubarak.

Hundreds of supporters of the Congress leaders gathered outside the illuminated Moti Bagh Palace to mark the victory and also to celebrate Amarinder`s 75th birthday, which fell on Saturday.

At 75, the scion of the erstwhile Patiala royalty has become the longest living male member of his family.

Amarinder is likely to take over the reins of the state next week.