Punjab: Voting for Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll begins

Tarn Taran, Nov 11 (PTI) Polling for the high-stakes Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll in Punjab began Tuesday morning here amid tight security arrangements. The polling began at 7 am and it will continue till 6 pm, said officials.

The counting of votes will be held on November 14.

The Tarn Taran assembly seat fell vacant following the death of Aam Aadmi Party MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal in June.

The bypoll is set to witness a multi-cornered contest, a crucial fight before the 2027 Assembly elections in the state.

Campaigning for the bypoll came to an end on Sunday evening.

There are 15 candidates in the fray.

The number of eligible voters is 1,92,838 -- 1,00,933 male, 91,897 female, and eight third-gender -- in the constituency.

A total of 222 polling stations have been set up at 114 locations, of which 60 are urban and 162 are rural, including four 'model' and three 'pink' polling booths, officials said.

AAP has fielded Harmeet Singh Sandhu, a three-time MLA from Tarn Taran, who joined the ruling party in July this year.

The bypoll is seen as a litmus test for Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP leaders, who aggressively campaigned to retain this seat.

Stakes are also high for the Congress, which has fielded its Tarn Taran district unit chief Karanbir Singh Burj for the bypoll. An agriculturalist and real-estate businessman, Burj is contesting elections for the first time.

The BJP has named Harjit Singh Sandhu, the president of the party's district unit, as its candidate for the bypoll.

The election is equally crucial for SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, who, along with his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal, aggressively campaigned for party candidate Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa, a retired government school principal and the wife of a 'Dharmi Fauji'.

Many Sikh soldiers who deserted the Army following Operation Blue Star in 1984 are called ‘Dharmi Fauji'.

Another candidate in the fray is Independent nominee Mandeep Singh, the brother of Sandeep Singh alias Sunny, an accused in the 2022 murder of Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri.

Sandeep Singh is also an accused in an attack on three former police officers, including two convicted in a fake encounter case in Tarn Taran, inside the Patiala jail. One of the convicted former officers, Suba Singh, succumbed to his injuries on September 17.

Mandeep Singh has the backing of Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) led by jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, Giani Harpreet Singh-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit), Simranjit Singh Mann-led SAD (Amritsar) and some radical Sikh bodies, including the Sikh Youth Federation (Bhindranwala). PTI CHS VSD MNK MNK