Tarn Taran: The AAP successfully retained the Tarn Taran assembly seat in Punjab on Friday, with candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu defeating his closest competitor, SAD nominee Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa, by a margin of 12,091 votes. Harmeet Singh Sandhu received 42,649 votes compared to Randhawa’s 30,558, as per the Election Commission’s official count after all 16 rounds. Celebrations erupted at AAP offices in Tarn Taran and Chandigarh, where party supporters danced to drumbeats and set off firecrackers in honor of the victory. Initially, Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD) Randhawa led in the first three rounds of counting, but Harmeet Singh subsequently took the lead and maintained it throughout.
Independent candidate Mandeep Singh finished third with 19,620 votes, followed by Congress’ Karanbir Singh Burj in fourth place with 15,078 votes, and BJP’s Harjit Singh Sandhu in a distant fifth with 6,239 votes. A total of 15 candidates contested in the election. The counting for the November 11 bypoll, which recorded a voter turnout of 60.95 percent, commenced at 8 am at the International College of Nursing, Piddi, under strict security measures. There were 1,92,838 eligible voters. The Tarn Taran seat became vacant following the death of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal in June. This bypoll was viewed as a significant test for Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the ruling AAP.
With Friday’s victory, the party has won six out of the seven bypolls conducted in the state since taking office in March 2022.
