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Punjab: Tarn Taran AAP MLA Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal passes away at 62
Dr Sohal’s death has added to AAP’s growing list of byelections. Since the Bhagwant Mann government was formed in March 2022, this will be the seventh bypoll the ruling party faces in Punjab.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Tarn Taran, Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal, passed away in Amritsar on Thursday after a prolonged battle with esophageal (food pipe) cancer. He was 62.
A retired government doctor before joining politics, Dr Sohal was elected to the Punjab assembly in 2022 after he defeated Dharambir Agnihotri, a Congress veteran, in his maiden electoral contest.
He was known for his contribution to rural healthcare and education initiatives, particularly in the border area of Punjab.
Dr Sohal is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter, both of who are doctors.
With Dr Sohal’s passing away, the Election Commission is expected to announce the Tarn Taran bypoll within six months. The Tarn Taran segment, part of the politically sensitive Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, will be a key battleground for the AAP, Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
Since the Bhagwant Mann government was formed in March 2022, six assembly byelections have taken place of which the AAP has won five.
The latest byelection took place in Ludhiana West assembly constituency on June 19. The AAP retained the seat after its candidate Sanjeev Arora defeated Bharat Bhushan Ashu of the Congress by more than 10,000 votes. The byelection was necessitated following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January. The bypoll recorded a turnout of 51.33% — a fall from 64.29% in 2022, when Gogi had won, and far lower than the seat’s highest ever turnout of 69.66% in 2012.
In July last year, following the Lok Sabha elections, the Jalandhar West bypoll took place after AAP MLA Sheetal Angural resigned and joined the BJP. AAP’s Mohinder Bhagat won the seat by more than 50,000 votes and was later inducted into the Bhagwant Mann cabinet.
In November 2024, bypolls were held for Gidderbaha, Barnala, Chabbewal (SC), and Dera Baba Nanak Assembly seats in Punjab after sitting MLAs Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Raj Kumar Chabbewal, and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa were elected to the Lok Sabha. The AAP won three of the four seats: Gidderbaha, Chabbewal, and Dera Baba Nanak, strengthening its majority in the 117-member House.
The Congress managed to win Barnala.
Another bypoll is likely to take place in Banga assembly constituency, where SAD MLA Dr Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi switched to the AAP last year.
