Punjab election update: Tarn Taran Assembly byelection on Nov 11, counting of votes on Nov 14; know the candidates
PTC Web Desk: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced the date for the Tarn Taran Assembly byelection in Punjab. Voting will take place on November 11, while counting of votes will be held on November 14. With the official announcement, the Model Code of Conduct has come into effect in the district.
The bypoll was necessitated following the death of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal nearly three months ago, which left the seat vacant. Even before the election schedule was declared, all major political parties had finalised and announced their candidates.
Four major parties in the fray
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has once again placed its bet on a turncoat leader. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced Harmeet Sandhu as AAP’s candidate for the Tarn Taran bypoll. Sandhu recently joined the AAP.
The strategy of inducting leaders from other parties has worked well for AAP in earlier bypolls, where the party managed to win three out of the last few byelections held in Punjab.
The Congress has fielded Karanbir Singh Burj as its candidate. A seasoned leader, Burj has earlier served as the vice-president of the Punjab Congress Kisan Cell and also held the same position at the district level.
Deeply rooted in Tarn Taran, Burj is known for consistently raising local and farmers’ issues. He is regarded as a close aide of senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa.
Harjit Singh Sandhu, a former Youth Akali Dal leader, is BJP pick for the seat. Sandhu has been serving as the BJP district president of Tarn Taran since December 2022 and enjoys a strong hold in local politics and organisational affairs.
He began his political career in 2007 with the Shiromani Akali Dal’s youth wing but switched to the BJP ahead of the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has announced 'Principal' Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa as its candidate. She is a prominent leader of the Azad group, a powerful local political front in Tarn Taran. Under her leadership, the group performed well in local body elections, winning the support of 43 sarpanches, 8 municipal councillors, and several former chairpersons.
A former school principal, she is respected for her disciplined leadership, social work, and strong community outreach, which have earned her significant goodwill among voters.
As the Tarn Taran bypoll draws closer, the political atmosphere in Punjab is heating up. With four major contenders in the race , AAP, Congress, BJP, and SAD, the election is set to be a high-stakes, multi-cornered contest that will test the political pulse of the state ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
- PTC NEWS
