Punjab by-polls: Prestige at stake for AAP, Cong, BJP

Chandigarh: Punjab’s ruling AAP would like to register victories after its dismal performance in the Lok Sabha polls while the Congress and the BJP are also going all out for triumph in the by-elections to four assembly segments going to polls on Wednesday.

Bypolls to the four assembly segments -- Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC) and Barnala -- will take place on November 20 from 7 am to 6 pm and counting will be held on November 23. The bypolls were necessitated after MLAs representing them were elected to the Lok Sabha. Of the four assembly segments, Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak and Chabbewal were earlier held by the Congress, and the Barnala seat by the AAP. Forty five candidates, including three women, are in the fray for the bypolls in which 6.96 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise at 831 polling stations, officials said on Tuesday.

More than 6,400 Punjab Police personnel and 17 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces have been deployed for peaceful elections, they said, adding that there will be 100 per cent webcasting of all polling stations.

Campaigning for the bypolls to four assembly segments ended on Monday evening. The bypolls will decide the fate of key contestants, including BJP nominee and former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Congress’ Amrita Warring, Jatinder Kaur, AAP’s Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon, Dr Ishank Kumar Chabbewal and BJP’s Kewal Singh Dhillon, Sohan Singh Thandal and Ravikaran Singh Kahlon.

Amrita Warring is the wife of Punjab Congress chief and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. Jatinder Kaur is the spouse of Gurdaspur MP and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.

The Gidderbaha constituency in Muktsar district is set to see a fierce three-cornered electoral bout. The seat fell vacant after Raja Warring, who was a Congress MLA, was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Ludhiana seat in the 2024 parliamentary polls. Congress’ Amrita Warring, who is contesting for the first time, BJP’s Manpreet Singh Badal and AAP’s Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon are in the fray. Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) has also fielded Sukhraj Singh, son of one of the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing victims.

Raja Warring was elected Gidderbaha MLA in 2012, 2017 and 2022. Manpreet Singh, who earlier represented this seat four times on SAD tickets, is looking to wrest this assembly segment for BJP this time, after 12 years. His uncle and five-time Punjab chief minister late Parkash Singh Badal had represented Gidderbaha five times. Similarly, Hardeep Dhillon, who lost this seat twice to Warring in 2017 and 2022, would also want to register victory. He had joined the AAP after quitting the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in August.

The Barnala seat will see a multi-cornered contest with the AAP fielding Harinder Singh Dhaliwal, Congress nominating Kuldeep Singh Dhillon and BJP Kewal Singh Dhillon. Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) has fielded Govind Singh Mann, who is the maternal grandson of former MP and party chief Simranjit Singh Mann, while AAP rebel Gurdeep Singh Batth is fighting as an independent candidate.