The result of the Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll has opened a new political conversation in Punjab, with many seeing it as the first clear sign that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is slowly regaining lost ground ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
While the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won the seat comfortably, the strong performance of the SAD candidate Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa has caught the attention of political observers, especially because the constituency lies in the core panthic belt where the party had been weakening over the past few years.
The bypoll ended with AAP’s Harmeet Singh Sandhu securing 42,649 votes, followed by SAD with 30,558 votes. The numbers show a clear gap, but the significance lies in the pattern. Despite AAP’s organisational advantage and being in power, SAD managed to consolidate a substantial portion of the panthic vote and finish well ahead of the Congress and the Waris Punjab De-backed Independent.
Party insiders say the bypoll has boosted morale within SAD’s rank and file, which has been searching for a breakthrough since its poor showing in the 2022 Assembly elections.
Locally, voters said the SAD campaign was far more visible this time, with the party’s traditional structures active again in rural clusters where it once dominated. Randhawa’s performance is being seen as party's reconnecting with its core support base, especially among families linked to farming, religious institutions and traditional Akali leadership networks.
The bypoll also showed that the panthic sentiment still holds weight in the Majha region, and many voters preferred SAD over both the Congress and newer alternatives.
The Congress’s weak performance further magnified SAD’s rise. Congress finished far behind, losing its security deposit and slipping to fourth place, something unthinkable a few months ago in Tarn Taran. This effectively turned the contest into a direct AAP-SAD fight, giving the Akali Dal the space to reassert itself as the primary challenger to the ruling party. For many political watchers, this shift is significant because it mirrors the old bipolar nature of Punjab politics before newer players emerged.
SAD leaders believe the Tarn Taran result is not just an isolated performance but the beginning of a broader revival ahead of 2027. Senior party figures say the bypoll has shown that traditional Akali voters, who had drifted away in recent years, may be slowly returning. The party is planning to use this momentum to rebuild cadres across the Majha, Malwa and Doaba regions, especially in seats where panthic and rural issues dominate.
"While AAP has retained the seat with a strong margin, the takeaway from Tarn Taran goes beyond the victory margin. The bypoll has underlined that the SAD is still a significant force in Punjab’s panthic belt and is capable of bouncing back if it continues to reconnect with voters", say political analysts.