Bypoll battle: Thandal, Jatinder Kaur file nominations on last day

Former minister Sohan Singh Thandal of BJP and Congress’ Jatinder Kaur, wife of Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, filed nomination papers from Chabbewal and Dera Baba Nanak, respectively.

Friday was was the last day for filing papers, for the November 13 bypolls to four assembly segments of Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal and Barnala.

Thandal, a four-time legislator from this constituency, joined the saffron party on Thursday. He is pitted against AAP’s Ishank Kumar, son of sitting MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal, who had defeated Thandal in the last two assembly and this year’s parliamentary polls.

Thandal was accompanied by former Union ministers Som Parkash and Vijay Sampla, former Rajya Sabha member Avinash Rai Khanna and former MP Sushil Kumar Rinku among others.

Jatinder Kaur was accompanied by her MP husband along with Congress national spokesperson Alok Sharma, Fatehgarh Churian MLA and former minister Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, former Pathankot MLA Amit Vij and her son Udayvir Singh.

“Dera Baba Nanak is our home and its people are our family members. We are contesting the elections with full confidence and blessings of God, we will secure the thumping victory in these elections”, Jatinder Kaur said.

Meanwhile, district bar association president Ranjit Kumar filed his papers as Congress nominee in Chabbewal. He is another turncoat, who joined the Congress two days ago. He had contested the last Lok Sabha election on a BSP ticket. Leader of opposition Partap Sigh Bajwa and former minister Sunder Sham Arora and Sangat Singh Gilzian were present at the time of filing of nomination.

In Bathinda, former Congress parliamentarian Jagmeet Singh Brar and Sukh Rajkaran Singh, son of one of the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing victims, filed election nomination papers for the Gidderbaha byelection on Friday.

A two-time MP from Faridkot and a party-hopper Brar filed his papers as an Independent. Brar was expelled from Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in December 2022 three years after joining the party.

A matriculate Sukh Rajkaran has submitted papers as a candidate of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). Contesting elections for the first time, Rajkaran is banking upon panthic agenda and justice for the Sikh activities who were killed in Behbal Kalan when police opened fire at people protesting against a sacrilege incident at Bargari in Faridkot district.

In a related development, Mandeep Singh Sidhu, brother of deceased Deep Sidhu (Sandeep Singh Sidhu), the controversial founder of Waris Punjab De (WPD) said he decided not to contest elections. Sidhu said since Rajkaran is contesting the Gidderbaha bypoll, he opted out to have a common panthic candidate.

Sidhu’s name for byelection was pushed by the Independent Faridkot MP Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, son of one of the two assassins of former prime minister Indira Gandhi last month. After this announcement, Khalsa and Sidhu had even started campaigning. In the Lok Sabha polls, Khalsa secured the highest 32,423 votes in Gidderbaha of the total 1,17,005 votes polled in the assembly constituency.

Sidhu said he is not canvassing for Rajkaran. “I may join the electioneering if I am invited for it,” he added.