Punjab Bypolls 2024: High-Stakes November 20 Election Set To Test AAP, Congress, And BJP As SAD Opts Out

Chandigarh: The upcoming high-stake November 20 bypolls to Punjab’s four assembly seats pose a critical test for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), even as stakes are higher for its rival Congress and BJP with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) opting out of the fray.

The results of the electoral battle to four assembly constituencies – Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal and Barnala - would be out on November 23.

The ruling AAP has fielded candidate Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon in Gidderbaha where he faces Congress’ Amrita Warring, who is the wife of the state party chief and Ludhiana MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring. The BJP has fielded former finance minister Manpreet Badal. The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) has named Sukhraj Niamiwala from here.

For the record, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has opted out of the upcoming bypolls contest following the recent order of the Akal Takht - the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs - on SAD chief Sukhbir Badal which declared him ``tankhaiya’’ (guilty of religious misconduct) and barred him from contesting elections for the alleged ``mistakes’’ committed by his party and government during its rule from 2007 to 2017.

The said ``mistakes’’, alleged by rebel SAD leaders, included revocation of the blasphemy case against Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for imitating Guru Gobind Singh in 2007, the failure to punish perpetrators of the Bargari sacrilege and police officials for the Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan firing incidents, appointment of controversial IPS officer Sumedh Saini as Punjab DGP besides giving Farzana Alam, the wife of controversial police officer Izhar Alam, the party ticket in the 2012 assembly polls.

In Barnala, AAP’s Harinder Singh Dhaliwal, faces Congress’ Kuldeep Singh Dhillon and BJP’s Kewal Singh Dhillon, who was formerly with Congress. The SAD (A) has named Govind Singh Sandhu from here.

The AAP’s Gurdeep Singh Randhawa faces Congress’ Jatinder Kaur, who is the wife of Gurdaspur MP, Sukhjinder Randhawa in Dera Baba Nanak assembly seat. The BJP has fielded Ravikaran Singh Kahlon, a former Akali leader. The SAD (A) has named Lovepreet Singh Toofan.

In Chabbewal seat, the AAP candidate Ishaan Chabbewal faces Congress’ Ranjit Singh, who was earlier with BSP and BJP’s Sohan Singh Thandal. All these four seats had fallen vacant after the sitting MLAs got elected to the Lok Sabha or jumped ship.

The bypolls are seen as a mid-term test for the chief minister Bhagwant Mann-led AAP which had come to power with a landslide win in 2022 – 92 seats out of 117; the party, however, suffered a drubbing in 2024 Lok Sabha elections as it could win only three of the total 13 parliamentary seats. The contest is seen to be tough for AAP as three of the four seats – Dera Baba Nanak, Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak and Chabbewal were bagged by Congress in 2022 while only Barnala was won by AAP.

Also, the ensuing bypolls is seen as a battle of prestige for Congress which hopes to retain three seats. The saffron party is expecting some surprises after it gathered over 18% votes in the recently held Lok Sabha elections and hopes to win in Gidderbaha and Barnala seats where it has senior leaders Manpreet Badal and Kewal Dhillon, respectively. The BJP has only two MLAs in the House of 117 as of today.