Tarn Taran bypoll outcome shows defining impact of Akali politics in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections

The Tarn Taran bypoll has sounded the bugle that the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has bounced back and commands the ‘Panthic’ nerve ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls.

Even as the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) vies to retain the Tarn Taran seat in the bypoll by giving a convincing lead in the poll trends, yet in the ‘parallel’ contest between the Badal-led SAD and anti-Badal Akali groups, the tough fight given by the SAD candidate Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa has testified that the rebel Akalis with the tag of ‘splintered’ or ‘punarsurjit’ have drastically failed to loosen the SAD’s ‘Panthic grip’.

On this Panthic turf of Khadoor Sahib Parliamentary constituency, represented by the NSA detainee and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, SAD had fielded Randhawa, a retired principal having the family legacy of ‘Dharmi Fauji’, those who had abandoned their defence services and fought against the Army during Operation Blue star.

On the other hand was Mandeep Singh, the joint candidate of Amritpal Singh-led party Waris Punjab De (WPD) and Shiromani Akali Dal (Punarsurjit). Mandeep is the brother of Sandeep Singh Sunny, an accused in the murder of Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri. Sunny is currently lodged in the Sangrur jail and had hit the headlines recently for assaulting former police officers, convicted in fake encounter cases in Patiala jail.

Till the seventh round of counting, Randhawa polled 15,521 votes, followed by Mandeep with just half of it at 7,667 votes.

By the end of 10th round, SAD lost the momentum it had shown in early trends but grabbed 19,598 votes to stand at second place whereas the WPD candidate was trailing at 11, 793 at third. Maintaining the lead, SAD got 20,823 votes whereas WPD has to console with just 13,142 votes in the eleventh round.