Daijiworld Media Network - Chandigarh

Chandigarh, Nov 14: In a politically significant win ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu retained the Tarn Taran Assembly seat on Friday. He defeated Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Sukhwinder Kaur — who initially led in early rounds — by a margin of over 12,000 votes.

The bypoll held considerable weight for chief minister Bhagwant Mann and the ruling AAP, which has now secured victory in five of six by-elections conducted in Punjab since taking office in March 2022.

Independent candidate Mandeep Singh Khalsa, backed by hardline Sikh groups and supporters of jailed MP Amritpal Singh, secured the third position, while Congress nominee Karanbir Singh Burj finished fourth.

Sandhu won with a total of 42,649 votes, leading by 12,091 votes. SAD’s Sukhwinder Kaur followed with 30,558 votes. Khalsa garnered 19,620 votes, Congress’ Karanbir Singh collected 15,078, and BJP’s Harjit Singh Sandhu rounded out the top contenders with 6,239 votes.

Celebrating the victory, state AAP Chief and Minister Aman Arora said, “This win reflects the work done by the Bhagwant Mann government. We took our achievements to the people, and they rewarded us with their trust. Heartfelt thanks to everyone.”

Meanwhile, SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal expressed gratitude to Tarn Taran voters for supporting her party “despite threats, false cases and illegal detentions” allegedly orchestrated by AAP. She wrote on X that the outcome sends a “clear message” that voters prefer their regional party and will “show the door to AAP” in the 2027 elections if polling is free and fair.

The bypoll, held on November 11 following the death of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal in June, recorded a turnout of 60.95 per cent. Fifteen candidates contested the seat.