Punjab: Prestige battle: Warring, Randhawa go all out to garner votes for their spouses
The bypolls to the four assembly seats – Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal and Barnala — will take place on November 20 and the counting of votes will be held on November 23.
In a high-stakes political battle, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who is MP from Gurdaspur, are going all out to woo voters for their spouses who are contesting from Gidderbaha (Amrita Warring) and Dera Baba Nanak (Jatinder Kaur).
The two Congress strongmen have been actively engaging with voters, using their influence to galvanise support for the party candidates. The duo are also using the campaign as an opportunity to project themselves as contenders for the chief minister’s post in the 2027 assembly polls.
The bypolls to the four assembly seats – Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal and Barnala — will take place on November 20 and the counting of votes will be held on November 23.
With the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) putting up a strong fight, the byelections have become a prestige battle for the leaders.
Warring, who has been at the helm of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) for the past few years, has been vocal in his belief that Congress is the party that can defeat AAP and bring stability and development to the state.
During campaigning, Warring, in a bid to woo voters, said: “If Congress forms the next government, I will be there to ensure that we have a state that works for everyone. The chief minister is always from Malwa. You have made me MLA, MP and minister, and now your vote will enable me to become chief minister in 2027. You are voting for my wife, and your vote will help me take the big responsibility of Punjab.”
His supporters have also left no stone unturned to project Raja Warring as the next CM face of the Congress.
Similarly, Sukhjinder Randhawa, whose wife, Jatinder Kaur, is locked in a bitter poll battle with AAP’s Gurdeep Singh Randhawa and BJP’s Ravikaran Singh Kahlon, is also campaigning vigorously for his wife.
Randhawa, during an interaction, asserted that the power to his family’s power comes from the support of the people.
“The Congress party has always been the voice of the common people. With strong leadership, we will bring Punjab back on track. The Congress would offer leadership capable of addressing the state’s pressing issues. I will play a major role in the coming elections,” Randhawa said projecting himself as the potential next CM face.
The byelections are expected to test the strength of the Punjab Congress. The results could give Congress a boost ahead of the 2027 polls.
Meanwhile, two Congress stalwarts Partap Singh Bajwa and former CM Charanjit Singh Channi have canvassed in all four segments going for bypoll and are also seen as contenders to lead the Congress in the 2027 polls.
