Clear Victory for AAP’s Harmeet Singh Sandhu
In the by-election for the Tarn Taran assembly seat in Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu secured a decisive victory. After all rounds of counting, Sandhu received approximately 42,649 votes, defeating his closest rival by a margin of about 12,091 votes. The seat had fallen vacant following the death of the previous AAP MLA.
Strong Contest, Emerging Players
The main competitors included the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa who garnered around 30,558 votes, and the newly-active Waris Punjab De whose candidate secured about 19,620 votes, pushing the Indian National Congress (INC) further down the rank. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed only around 6,239 votes.
Voter Turnout & Political Significance
The voter turnout stood at about 61%, showing strong engagement despite the by-poll nature of the election. For AAP this win reinforces their dominance in the region and adds weight to their claim of being the ruling force in Punjab. For Waris Punjab De, the third-place finish is significant—it signals its growing footprint in rural border regions and potential to challenge established parties in future contests.
Strategic Impacts & Outlook
For AAP, retaining this seat means continuity of their legislative strength and momentum heading into the next full state election. For opposition parties like SAD and Congress, the result suggests the need to recalibrate their strategies and reconnect with rural voters. Emerging parties such as Waris Punjab De are the new variables in Punjab’s political equation—they may shift vote-shares and force alliances or change the traditional duel dynamic.
