Punjab: AAP's Harmeet Sandhu leads in Tarn Taran bypoll

Tarn Taran (PB), Nov 14 (PTI) Aam Aadmi Party candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu appears to be heading for a victory in the Tarn Taran assembly bypoll, leading with a margin of 10,236 votes over his nearest rival and Shiromani Akali Dal nominee Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa, as counting nears the last leg on Friday.

Sandhu had 32,520 votes against Randhawa's 22,284 when 12 out of the 16 rounds of counting was completed, the Election Commission website showed.

Anticipating his victory in the fiercely fought electoral battle, the AAP workers and supporters began celebrations outside the counting centre.

Shiromani Akali Dal's Randhawa was in the lead in the first three rounds of counting, but Sandhu took over and maintained a steady lead thereafter.

Independent candidate Mandeep Singh was in the third spot with 14,432 votes while Congress candidate Karanbir Singh Burj was fourth with 11,294 votes. BJP's Harjit Singh Sandhu was a distant fifth with 4,653 votes.

A total of 15 candidates were in the fray.

The counting of votes for the November 11 bypoll, which saw a voter turnout of 60.95 per cent, began at 8 am. There were a total of 1,92,838 eligible voters.

The Tarn Taran seat fell vacant after the death of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal in June.

Tight security arrangements were made at the counting centre set up at the International College of Nursing in Piddi.

The bypoll is being seen as a litmus test for Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the ruling AAP, which has won five of the six bypolls held in the state since it came to power in March 2022. PTI CHS VSD RUK RUK