The Tarn Taran bypoll took a sharp turn on Friday as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) widened its lead after the sixth round of counting, putting the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) under pressure in what has become Punjab’s most tightly fought contest of the year.
According to the latest figures, AAP has secured 14,586 votes, while SAD stands at 13,694, trailing by 892 votes. Congress remains a distant third with 7,260 votes, followed by Waris Punjab De at 5,994 and the BJP at 1,620.
The bypoll, held after the death of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal, has turned into a heavyweight AAP–SAD battle, overshadowing the presence of other parties. While early trends had shown SAD edging ahead in some rounds, the momentum shifted decisively in AAP’s favour by the sixth round, giving its candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu the strongest lead of the day so far.
The modest turnout of around 61%, lower than 2022’s 65.8%, has added to the unpredictability of the contest, with both major parties relying on contrasting voter bases, SAD on its deep-rooted rural network and AAP on wider welfare-led support.
Polling remained peaceful despite SAD’s allegations of police bias towards AAP. Officials, citing strong central force deployment, dismissed the claims and said the process was conducted smoothly.
With Congress, BJP and Waris Punjab De trailing far behind, the battle has clearly narrowed to AAP vs SAD, and every round is proving crucial.