Chandigarh, 23 October, 2024: Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring’s wife, Amrita, and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa’s wife, Jatinder Kaur, have been nominated as candidates for the Gidderbaha and Dera Baba Nanak bypolls, respectively, intensifying the political stakes for both leaders in the state.
Amrita Warring has been actively involved in the Gidderbaha constituency alongside her husband. “A lot is at stake for Raja Warring; he must defend his stronghold in Gidderbaha while ensuring Congress performs well in the other three constituencies,” noted a Congress leader who requested anonymity. Raja Warring successfully defended this seat after his election to the Punjab Assembly in 2012. A loss could undermine his leadership position, while a victory would bolster his status as head of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC).
The Gidderbaha seat became vacant when Warring was elected as an MP from Ludhiana, while the need for a Dera Baba Nanak election arose following Randhawa’s election to the Lok Sabha from Gurdaspur. The Chabbewal seat was vacated after Dr. Raj Kumar transitioned to the ruling AAP and was elected MP from Hoshiarpur.
In Barnala, the Congress party has nominated Kuldeep Singh Dhillon, who is a transporter and has close ties to Raja Warring. This decision comes after Kewal Dhillon, the party’s face in Barnala, switched to the BJP, and former candidate Manish Bansal has remained inactive in the constituency since his significant defeat in 2022.
Jatinder Kaur is well-known in Dera Baba Nanak, having been actively engaged in the community and conducting political activities in the absence of her husband, who has taken on responsibilities in Rajasthan and national politics. “She has a strong presence in the area and is committed to the constituents,” said a Congress leader.
With three of the four contested constituencies having been won by Congress in the 2022 election, maintaining control will be a significant challenge. In the recent Lok Sabha polls, Congress secured seven of the 13 seats in Punjab, while the incumbent AAP won only three and the Shiromani Akali Dal managed just one.
In Chabbewal, the party has nominated Ranjit Kumar, a lawyer and former Lok Sabha candidate for the BSP in Hoshiarpur. This follows the departure of Dr. Raj Kumar, who previously won in both 2017 and 2022.
