BJP names three candidates for Punjab Assembly bypolls, Manpreet Badal fielded from Gidderbaha

Chandigarh, Oct 22 (IANS) The BJP on Tuesday named three candidates, including former minister Manpreet Badal, for the bypolls to the four Assembly constituencies in Punjab, scheduled on November 13.

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.

Two days ago, 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.

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 total 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.