Dr Sohal’s nephew enters bypoll race amid AAP turmoil

Differences within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have resurfaced once again in Tarn Taran. These conflicts came to light when Harmeet Singh Sandhu, the AAP candidate for the upcoming by-election, sought the party ticket in July. Several party members, eager to secure the ticket themselves, strongly opposed the decision to induct Harmeet Singh Sandhu into the party.

However, the dissenting leaders chose to remain silent after the party’s move.

Political circles in the area were surprised on Saturday when, out of the eight candidates who filed their nomination papers, one was Komalpreet Singh. Komalpreet Singh, who served as the personal assistant (PA) to late MLA Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal, is also a close relative, being the son of Dr Sohal’s late sister.

Komalpreet Singh on Sunday said that after Dr Sohal’s death, a well-planned move within AAP’s inner circles was launched to silence his supporters. He claimed that some party leaders are seeking revenge against the current candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu by organising gatherings of party members at Darbar Sahib in Tarn Taran.

According to Komalpreet, supporters of the late Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal are being deliberately side-lined from government affairs. He vowed to continue following in the footsteps of his maternal uncle Dr Sohal.

Additionally, Harbrinder Kaur, a victim involved in the Usma incident, is also contesting as an Independent candidate. Harbrinder Kaur’s case previously led to the imprisonment of the ruling party’s Khadoor Sahib MLA, Manjinder Singh Lalpura. Lalpura is accused of torturing Harbrinder Kaur along with the police in March 2013.