Setback to Akali Dal ahead of bypoll in Punjab, four-time MLA Thandal joins BJP

Chandigarh, Oct 24 (IANS) In a setback to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ahead of the bypoll to four Punjab Assembly seats on November 13, its former minister and four-time legislator Sohan Thandal on Thursday joined the BJP in the presence of former Gujarat Chief Minister and Punjab party in charge Vijay Rupani. 

Thandal may be fielded from the Chabbewal (reserved) seat. Thandal was believed to be the Akali Dal candidate for this seat, but there was no clear picture of whether the party would contest the bypoll or not. With the induction of Thandal, the BJP has managed to get a ‘panthic’ face.

Amidst his joining, speculations are also rife that former Union Minister Vijay Sampla may be fielded by the BJP from this seat.

Thandal had unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Lok Sabha poll from Hoshiarpur parliamentary constituency (reserved) on an Akali Dal ticket. He had won the 2012 Assembly poll from Chabbewal. But was unsuccessful in the 2017 and 2022 Assembly elections.

The BJP on Tuesday named three candidates, including former Minister Manpreet Badal, for the bypolls.

Former Finance Minister Badal has been fielded from his stronghold Gidderbaha. Ravi Karan Singh Kahlon will contest from Dera Baba Nanak and Kewal Singh Dhillon from Barnala.

Badal had been elected from Gidderbaha on Shiromani Akali Dal's ticket four times -- 1995, 1997, 2002 and 2007. He won from Bathinda (Urban) in 2017 on a Congress ticket. However, he lost this seat in 2022 polls.

Earlier, the state ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), released the list of candidates.

From Gidderbaha, the party fielded Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon, who recently quit the Shiromani Akali Dal and joined AAP. Dhillon was inducted into the party by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Harinder Singh Dhaliwal and Gurdeep Singh Randhawa have been fielded from Barnala and Dera Baba Nanak, respectively. Dhaliwal is a close confidant of Sangrur MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, while Randhawa is the party’s constituency in-charge of Dera Baba Nanak.

For the Chabbewal seat, the party fielded Ishaan Chabbewal.

The four Assembly seats -- three represented by the Congress and one by AAP -- fell vacant after MLAs from these constituencies were elected to the Lok Sabha this year.

Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, the Congress legislator from Gidderbaha, was elected from the Ludhiana parliamentary seat, while Raj Kumar Chabbewal, a Congress MLA who later switched loyalties to AAP, became MP from the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat.

Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who was a Congress legislator from the Dera Baba Nanak seat, was elected from the Gurdaspur parliamentary seat, while Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, the AAP legislator from Barnala, was elected as MP from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat.

The Congress fielded Warring's wife Amrita Warring from Gidderbaha, while Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa's wife Jatinder Kaur from Dera Baba Nanak, Ranjit Kumar from Chabbewal and Kuldeep Singh Dhillon from Barnala.

Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C. said the last date for filing nominations is October 25 and the scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted on October 28, while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is October 30.

He said the number of voters in the four constituencies is 6,96,316, with a total of 831 polling stations.

For Dera Baba Nanak, there are 1,93,268 voters and 241 polling stations. In Chabbewal, the number of voters is 1,59,254, with 205 polling stations.

For Gidderbaha, the total number of voters is 1,66,489, and 173 polling stations will be established. The Barnala Assembly seat has 1,77,305 voters and 212 polling stations.

--IANS

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