Chandigarh, Nov 3 (IANS): Amrita Warring, the first woman candidate to contest from the Gidderbaha Assembly seat in Punjab, on Sunday called her candidacy a "historic win for women, marking a significant step toward empowering women".

As the by-election campaign intensified, Amrita Warring issued a sharp critique against the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, condemning their alleged manipulation and misuse of power in an attempt to suppress genuine democratic voices in the constituency.

“This election is a victory in itself for the women of Gidderbaha,” Amrita Warring declared. “The people of Gidderbaha, especially its resilient women, will lead the way in showing the incumbent AAP government the door. They have exploited their position to manipulate the panchayat elections, and now they’re trying to do the same here during the by-elections. But just as we stood strong before, we will stand even stronger now.”

Amrita Warring, wife of Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, the Congress MP from Ludhiana, pointed out the AAP government's broken promises and failure to fulfill the commitments it made to the people.

"Why would Gidderbaha stand with turncoats who never had our interests at heart? They promised Rs 1,000 to the women of Punjab, which they have not delivered as they fail to keep their word like all other promises. Yet they continue to manipulate, misuse power, and try to sway our villagers by tearing down our posters and replacing them with their own, all while pressuring our people to show public support. These are the very tactics that have stripped this government of its legitimacy," the Congress candidate said.

Amrita Warring assured that the campaign would not stoop to the ruling party's level, preferring instead to rely on the collective strength and power of Gidderbaha's people.

"We won't dignify their malpractices with a reaction. Instead, we'll answer them with our votes. Every single vote will play a role in ousting this government that has lost the trust of the very people it claims to represent," she added.

"Gidderbaha is our family," Amrita Warring emphasised, adding, "and we will not allow anyone, especially those with no genuine loyalty to our people, to attack or destroy our home. We have never looked back, and we never will. This by-election is going to set the stage for 2027, where Gidderbaha will make it clear that it will not stand for leaders who turn their backs on their promises and community".

Throughout the day, Amrita Warring campaigned across key areas in Gidderbaha, including Hari Ke Kalan, Surewala, Assa Buttar, Kauni, Doda, and Husnar, before concluding the day in Gidderbaha city.

Punjab's four Assembly seats -- three represented by the Congress and one by AAP -- fell vacant after MLAs from these constituencies were elected to the Lok Sabha this year. The bypoll is scheduled on November 13.

Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, the Congress legislator from Gidderbaha, was elected from the Ludhiana Parliamentary seat, while Raj Kumar Chabbewal, a Congress MLA who later switched loyalties to AAP, became MP from the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat.

Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who was a Congress legislator from the Dera Baba Nanak seat, got elected from the Gurdaspur parliamentary seat, while Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, the AAP legislator from Barnala, was elected as MP from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat.