Prestige at stake, state parties brace for multi-corner fight in Tarn Taran

The Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll is likely to be a litmus test for political parties due to the situation emerging out of devastating floods, BJP’s bid to gain a foothold, ruling AAP’s shot at maintaining its dominance and the faction-ridden Congress’ attempt to put up a united show.

According to political experts, the bypoll is being considered as a precursor to the 2027 Assembly elections, which are now just 15 months away. Sensing the gravity of the contest, ruling AAP is going full guns blazing to retain the seat, which had fallen vacant following the demise of its legislator Kashmir Singh Sohal.

All new welfare schemes, be it the universal health insurance scheme or the construction of rural link roads, are being started from Tarn Taran.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has taken the lead in launching the party’s aggressive campaign in favour of its candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu, a three-time legislator and an Akali import.

Sohal had defeated Sandhu in the 2022 Assembly poll, when the latter contested as a SAD candidate.

After Sohal’s demise, the ruling party currently has 93 MLAs in the 117-member state Assembly. Experts say it remains to be seen if the party would make him a minister in the Bhagwant Mann Cabinet. This was done in case of Mohinder Bhagat, elected in the Jalandhar West bypoll, and Sanjeev Arora, an MLA from Ludhiana West. State AAP president Aman Arora exuded confidence of winning the bypoll. “People have seen how the party has fulfilled all its promises made to them and they trust us to lead them,” he claimed. AAP spokesperson Neel Garg said every election was different and required different strategies.

“But we will retain our seat as people will vote on the basis of the performance of the Bhagwant Mann government. We have been preparing the ground for quite some time. Our booth level structure is ready and our candidate is quite popular,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Congress is too expecting to prove that it is the main challenger to AAP in the state. After the 2022 poll debacle, when its tally was reduced to 18 from 77, the party had fared well in the last year’s Lok Sabha poll, winning eight of 13 seats.

Moreover, the party is under pressure to put up a united show following cropping up of differences among its leaders on several occasions in the past.

This explains as to why the party has fielded a political greenhorn, realtor Karanbir Singh Burj, considered as a consensus candidate of the influential Majha leaders. He is considered close to Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa. Commenting on the bypoll, state Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said, “The party is in contention to win the seat. We will leave no stone unturned to win the bypoll while abiding by our secular credentials.”

The Congress’ Dharambir Agnihotri had won the seat in the 2017 Assembly poll.

Sukhbir Badal-led SAD too looking to regain its political influence through this election in the Panthic constituency. The party was the first to announce its candidate in July. It has fielded Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa.

This was followed by the BJP, which is eyeing a bigger chunk of the electoral pie in Punjab. The party has fielded Harjit Singh Sandhu as its candidate.

The floods in the state, which also impacted Tarn Taran, and the relief work carried out by various political parties, is also likely to influence the bypoll, in which 1.98 lakh people are eligible to vote. The BJP had been putting its men and resources, including those from other party-ruled states, to full use in distributing aid to flood-hit people.

Several central ministers too have visited the affected areas over the past one month. Meanwhile, the SAD cadre has been distributing relief material and diesel for tractors to clear the silt-laden fields.

The party has also provided village committees with money for the repair of breaches in dhussi bundhs (earthen dykes) during the floods.

According to experts, political manoeuvring by the Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), the outfit led by jailed pro-Khalistan Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, is also being closely watched.

They have so far not announced any candidate despite declaring that the party would contest the bypoll. Their electoral performance is likely to be an indicator of the traction hardliners enjoy on the Panthic seat.