Jalandhar, March 7 (IANS): Former India hockey captain and Olympian Pargat Singh won his maiden political fight winning the assembly elections on a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ticket from Jalandhar Cantonment constituency here Tuesday.
Hand-picked by SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, Pargat defeated Congress candidate Jagbir Brar by a huge margin of 7,798 votes bagging 48,290 votes.
Pargat, a local boy, is seen as a legend. He was also the sports director of the state and was persuaded by Sukhbir Singh, also deputy chief minister, to contest the elections on a SAD ticket.
What worked in favour for Pargat was that Jalandhar is a prominent hockey centre. The Sansarpur village here is also known as the nursery of the game in the country, having produced a total of 306 players, including 14 Olympians.
Pargat's campaign speech always centered around hockey and it also helped him to garner a huge support from the locals.