Chandigarh, 23 November 2024 – The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has emerged victorious in three out of four Punjab by-election contests, clinching the Gidderbaha, Chabbewal, and Dera Baba Nanak seats, while Congress captured the Barnala seat, a former AAP stronghold.
The bypolls, held on November 20, were necessitated by the resignation of incumbent legislators who were elected to the Lok Sabha earlier this year.
Gurdeep Singh Randhawa Wins Dera Baba Nanak for AAP
AAP's Gurdeep Singh Randhawa won the Dera Baba Nanak assembly seat, defeating Congress’s Jatinder Kaur by 5,699 votes. In the tense battle, Randhawa secured 59,104 votes, while Kaur polled 53,405 votes. BJP's Ravi Karan Singh Kahlon finished a distant third with just 6,505 votes.
Kaur, the wife of Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, had initially led in the vote count from rounds three to eight. However, Randhawa surged ahead in the later rounds, which culminated in his victory after 18 rounds of counting.
Congress Retains Barnala
In Barnala, Congress's Kuldeep Singh Dhillon emerged victorious, defeating AAP’s Harinder Singh Dhaliwal by a margin of 2,157 votes. Dhillon secured 28,254 votes, while Dhaliwal polled 26,097. BJP’s Kewal Singh Dhillon received 17,958 votes, with independent candidate Gurdeep Singh Batth garnering 16,899 votes. This victory ensured Congress retained a key seat, despite AAP's growing presence in the state.
Ishank Kumar Clinches Chabbewal Seat for AAP
AAP’s Ishank Kumar won the Chabbewal seat with a commanding lead, securing 51,904 votes against Congress’s Ranjit Kumar, who garnered 23,214 votes. Ishank’s margin of victory was 28,690 votes. The BJP's Sohan Singh Thandal came in a distant third with 8,692 votes.
This by-election was triggered after Ishank's father, Raj Kumar Chabbewal, a former Congress MLA, was elected to the Lok Sabha from Hoshiarpur. Raj Kumar had represented Chabbewal in the Punjab Assembly in 2017 and 2022 before joining AAP.
Dimpy Dhillon Triumphs in Gidderbaha
In Gidderbaha, AAP’s Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon defeated Congress’s Amrita Warring, wife of Punjab Congress Chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, by a significant 21,969 votes. Dimpy Dhillon secured 71,644 votes, while Warring managed 49,675 votes. Former Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who contested on a BJP ticket, was a distant third with just 12,227 votes, failing to secure one-sixth of the total valid votes.
A victory celebration is set to take place in Delhi, with AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann scheduled to attend.