Chandigarh, 24 October, 2024: In a major setback for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ahead of the November 13 bypolls in Punjab, senior party leader and former minister Sohan Singh Thandal has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Hoshiarpur.
Sources indicate that the BJP is likely to field Thandal as its candidate for the Chabbewal (SC) assembly seat, which remains without a nominated candidate as of yet.
Thandal was welcomed into the BJP by the party’s Punjab in-charge, former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, and ex-Union Minister Som Parkash. Previously, Thandal ran unsuccessfully for the Hoshiarpur parliamentary seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on a SAD ticket. A core committee member of SAD, Thandal secured a victory in the 2012 assembly elections from Chabbewal but failed to win re-election in both 2017 and 2022.
During his tenure with the Akali government in Punjab, Thandal served as the minister for jails, tourism, and cultural affairs. His shift to the BJP adds to the challenges facing SAD as it prepares for the upcoming bypolls.
The bypolls will be held for four assembly seats—Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal, and Barnala—following the election of their MLAs to the Lok Sabha. Polling is set for November 13, with results to be announced on November 23. The deadline for filing nominations is October 25, followed by scrutiny on October 28, and the last date for withdrawal of candidacy is October 30.
