A close contest is unfolding in the Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll where the ruling Aam Aadmi Party’s Harmeet Singh Sandhu and Shiromani Akali Dal’s Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa are locked in a neck and neck fight, according to early trends from the counting that began at 8 am today. The counting is being held at the International College of Nursing in Piddi and will conclude in 16 rounds.
The seat recorded a turnout of 60.95 per cent in Tuesday’s polling. It fell vacant after the death of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal in June. A total of fifteen candidates are in the fray, including Congress’ Karanbir Singh Burj, Mandeep Singh of the Akali Dal Waris Punjab De and BJP’s Harjit Singh Sandhu.
The early rounds saw frequent shifts in the lead. SAD took an initial advantage in the first three rounds. Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa led by 625 votes after the first round and widened the margin to 1,480 votes after the second. She maintained the edge in the third round with 7,348 votes against AAP’s 6,974.
The contest tightened from the fourth round, with AAP reducing the gap to 179 votes. In the fifth round, the difference further narrowed to 187 votes. By the sixth round, Harmeet Singh Sandhu pulled ahead for the first time, leading by 892 votes with 14,586 votes against SAD’s 13,694.
The seventh round strengthened AAP’s position as the lead rose to 1,836 votes. By the eighth round at 10.57 am, AAP extended this advantage to 3,668 votes, securing 20,454 votes against SAD’s 16,786. Waris Punjab De’s Mandeep Singh, Congress’ Karanbir Singh Burj and the BJP’s Harjit Singh Sandhu trailed with 9,162, 8,760 and 2,302 votes respectively.
The counting continues to move briskly, with both the main contenders watching each round closely as the contest remains competitive.