 has secured a landmark victory in the Punjab Assembly by-elections, held on November 20.){kind=link}
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has three out of four key constituencies, including several Congress strongholds. The by-elections were required due to the election of the current legislators to the Lok Sabha earlier this year.
As the counting entered its final stages, AAP was already preparing to celebrate a result that many did not foresee just a few months ago. The party has emerged triumphant in Dera Baba Nanak, Gidderbaha, and Chabbewal, consolidating its hold on Punjab’s political landscape, while suffering a defeat in Barnala, where Congress made inroads.
The results are a significant blow to the Congress party, which has historically dominated these regions. In a particularly dramatic contest in Gidderbaha, AAP’s Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon clinched victory over Amrita Warring, the wife of Punjab Congress President Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. This constituency was a Congress stronghold, and Raja Warring himself had been the face of Gidderbaha for years. The loss of such a prominent seat is seen as a major shift in the state’s political dynamics, with AAP successfully displacing Congress from its former bastion.
In Chabbewal, the win was equally impressive. Dr. Ishank Chabbewal, the 30-year-old son of Hoshiarpur MP Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal, contested on an AAP ticket and emerged victorious with a decisive margin of 28,582 votes against Congress’s Ranjit Kumar. His victory over seasoned political opponents marked a significant achievement for the young candidate, who is expected to be a key player in the party’s future in the region.
In 2017 and 2022, Raj Kumar, the father of Ishank Kumar, secured the seat as a Congress candidate. However, in March 2024, he resigned from both the Congress and the assembly, subsequently joining AAP and winning the Lok Sabha election.
Dera Baba Nanak, another seat previously held by Congress, also fell into AAP’s hands. AAP candidate Gurdeep Singh Randhawa secured 59,104 votes against Congress’s Jatinder Kaur Randhawa. The party’s success in these constituencies signals a strong political shift, especially considering the historical dominance of Congress in these areas. With the Punjab Congress struggling to maintain its traditional influence, AAP’s victories in these strongholds show a clear endorsement of the ruling party’s governance.
However, the celebrations for AAP are tempered by a setback in Barnala, where Congress expanded its footprint and claimed victory. Congress leader Kuldeep Singh Dhillon secured the seat with 28,254 votes, while AAP’s Harinder Singh Dhaliwal finished in second place with 26,097 votes. The seat was vacated after the incumbent legislator, AAP’s Gurmeet Meet Hayer was elected into the Lok Sabha. AAP chose not to give the ticket to district President Gurdeep Singh Batth, who then quit the party and ran as an independent candidate. The numbers suggest that this caused a major blow to AAP’s chances.
Despite this loss, AAP’s overall performance in the by-elections is seen as an overwhelming mandate that solidifies its position as the leading political force in the state.
The results also highlight the diminishing influence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), there is lesser outrage about the laws than it was before but still BJP struggled to gain traction. The BJP remains largely absent from the political race in this key region.
The by-polls were necessitated after the incumbent legislators were elected to the Lok Sabha earlier this year.
Manbilas Singh is a talented writer and journalist who focuses on the finer details in every story and values integrity above everything. A self-proclaimed sleuth, he strives to expose the fine print behind seemingly mundane activities and aims to uncover the truth that is hidden from the general public. In his time away from work, he is a music aficionado and a nerd who revels in video & board games, books and Formula 1.
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