Punjab By-Elections 2024: AAP's triumph, Congress fights back with narrow victory

Chandigarh(The Uttam Hindu): In the Punjab by-elections held on November 20, 2024, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerged victorious in three of the four assembly seats, while the Congress party secured one. The results were officially declared on November 23, 2024. AAP’s Dr. Ishank Kumar claimed a decisive victory in the Chabbewal assembly seat, defeating Congress's Ranjit Kumar by a substantial margin of 28,690 votes. Dr. Ishank received 51,904 votes, achieving a remarkable vote share of 60.9%—the highest ever recorded in the constituency.

In Gidderbaha, AAP's Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon maintained a strong lead over Congress's Amrita Warring, wife of Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring. The final results reaffirmed AAP’s dominance in this constituency. Congress made its mark in Barnala, where candidate Kuldeep Singh Dhillon narrowly defeated AAP's Harinder Singh Dhaliwal by 2,147 votes. This win was a key success for Congress in what proved to be a closely contested race.

Meanwhile, Dera Baba Nanak witnessed a tight contest between AAP’s Gurdeep Singh Randhawa and Congress’s Jatinder Kaur Randhawa, the wife of Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, reflecting intense competition in the constituency. The by-elections were prompted by the earlier election of sitting MLAs to the Lok Sabha. Voter turnout stood at 63.91%, with Gidderbaha registering the highest turnout at 81.90%.

These results highlight Punjab’s evolving political dynamics, with AAP consolidating its influence while Congress demonstrated its resilience by securing a crucial victory.