The election campaigns for the by-elections on four assembly seats in Punjab have reached their peak. The Congress, which won 7 out of 13 seats in the last Lok Sabha election, initially appeared confident after nominating the wives of two of its MPs as candidates. However, this decision has led to internal challenges, with the Congress focusing most of its campaign efforts on the Gidderbaha and Dera Baba Nanak seats.
AAP Pushing Strongly on All Four Seats
On the other hand, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is putting substantial efforts into all four seats. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP’s national convener, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, have been actively campaigning. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has focused its attention on the Barnala and Gidderbaha seats.
High Stakes for Congress in By-Elections
The stakes are highest for the Congress, as it held three of these four seats—Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, and Chabbewal. For Gidderbaha, Congress has fielded Amrita Kaur, the wife of state Congress president and Ludhiana MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring. In Dera Baba Nanak, the candidate is Jatinder Kaur Randhawa, wife of former Deputy Chief Minister and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Randhawa.
Critical Win Needed for Warring
This by-election is especially crucial for Raja Warring, who has been elected from Gidderbaha three consecutive times. Winning this seat for his wife is vital, as Warring aims to position himself as a leading candidate for Chief Minister in the 2027 elections.
Randhawa’s CM Aspirations
Similarly, Sukhjinder Randhawa, a former Deputy CM, is also in line for a potential Chief Ministerial candidacy. In 2021, when Congress removed Captain Amarinder Singh as CM, Randhawa was initially set to take over the position. He even received CM-level security, but in a last-minute decision, Charanjit Singh Channi was appointed instead. Randhawa’
