Big jolt for Congress as AAP clinches 3 of 4 seats in Punjab bypolls

While Congress could only win Barnala, the AAP won Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal and Gidderbaha seats in the Punjab bypolls.

The Congress saw a huge setback in Punjab as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won three of four constituencies in the Punjab Assembly bypolls. The grand old party could only win Barnala, while the AAP won Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal and Gidderbaha seats.

One of the key contests this time was Dera Baba Nanak and Gidderbaha, where Congress had fielded Jatinder Kaur and Amrita Warring, respectively. While Kaur is the wife of Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Amrita Warring is the wife of Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.

Both Kaur and Warring lost from their respective constituencies.

Randhawa represented Dera Baba Nanak in 2002, 2012, 2017 and 2022, but his wife Kaur was defeated by AAP's Gurdeep Singh Randhawa this time, by a margin of over 5,000 votes. In Gidderbaha, Amrita Warring was defeated by AAP's Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon by over 21,000 votes.

Another seat won by AAP was Chabbewal, where party candidate Dr Ishank Kumar defeated Congress's Ranjit Kumar by over 28,000 votes.

The only seat won by Congress was Barnala, but by a small margin. Party candidate Kuldeep Singh Dhillon defeated AAP's Harinder Singh Dhaliwal by 2,000 votes.

Reacting to the development, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal thanked the people of Punjab. "The people of Punjab have once again expressed their faith in the ideology of the Aam Aadmi Party and the work of our government by giving three out of four seats to the Aam Aadmi Party in the by-elections. Many thanks to the people of Punjab and many congratulations to everyone," he said in a tweet.

With this victory of three seats, the AAP has increased its number of MLAs in the state Assembly to 94, while the Congress MLAs are now down to 16 from 18.

Bypolls to Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC) and Barnala took place on November 20. The bypolls were necessitated after the incumbent legislators were elected to the Lok Sabha earlier this year.