AAP names candidates for Punjab bypolls; turncoat, MP's son make the cut

The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday released its list of candidates for the upcoming byelections to four Assembly constituencies in Punjab, scheduled to be held on November 13.

The party announced the candidature of Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon from Gidderbaha. He recently quit the Shiromani Akali Dal to join AAP.

Dhillon was brought into the party fold by convener and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann earlier this year.

Harinder Singh Dhaliwal will contest from Barnala and Gurdeep Singh Randhawa from Dera Baba Nanak seat.

Dhaliwal is a close confidant of Sangrur MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, whose election as MP has led to the Barnala Assembly seat falling vacant.

On the other hand, Gurdeep Singh Randhawa is the party’s constituency incharge of Dera Baba Nanak.

Ishaan Chabbewal, a doctor and the son of AAP Hoshiarpur MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal is the AAP candidate from Chabbewal (SC) segment.

The seat fell vacant after the then Congress MLA Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal switched over to AAP to contest and won the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat.

Winning these elections are crucial for AAP and the poll strategy and campaign are being micromanaged by the party's top brass. This is because it comes close on the heels of the party’s rather poor show at the hustings during the Lok Sabha polls. Though the ruling party subsequently won the Jalandhar-West bypoll by a huge margin, the party had used its entire might to win the poll.