National: The counting of votes for the bypolls to four assembly seats in Punjab is underway. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, and BJP are vying for victories in these crucial contests. The bypolls are seen as a litmus test for Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, whose government completed two-and-a-half-years in office.

The bypolls to four assembly seats -- Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC) and Barnala--- were necessitated after the incumbent legislators were elected to the Lok Sabha earlier this year.

63.91 per cent voter turnout 

A voter turnout of 63.91 per cent was recorded in the bypolls. The Gidderbaha segment saw the highest turnout of 81.90 per cent. The Dera Baba Nanak seat recorded 64.

01 per cent polling, Barnala 56.34 per cent and Chabbewal 53.43 per cent, respectively.

The bypoll results hold significant implications for Punjab's political landscape. A strong performance would provide a much-needed boost for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, following AAP's underwhelming showing in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where it secured only three of the state's 13 parliamentary seats.  

The stakes are equally high for the Congress, particularly for MPs Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Sukhjinder Randhawa, as their spouses contested from Gidderbaha and Dera Baba Nanak, respectively. For the BJP, the bypolls offer an opportunity to regain footing in Punjab after failing to win any seats in the recent general elections.

Key contestants

Among the key contestants in the fray were former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Kewal Singh Dhillon, Sohan Singh Thandal and Ravikaran Singh Kahlon (BJP), Amrita Warring and Jatinder Kaur (Congress), and Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon and Ishank Kumar Chabbewal (AAP).

Amrita is the wife of Punjab Congress chief and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. Jatinder Kaur is the spouse of Gurdaspur MP and former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.

From the Gidderbaha seat, Congress' Amrita Warring, BJP's Manpreet Singh Badal and AAP's Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon were in the fray.

Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) also fielded Sukhraj Singh, who is the son of one of the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing victims.

From the Barnala seat, AAP's Harinder Singh Dhaliwal, Congress' Kuldeep Singh Dhillon and BJP's Kewal Singh Dhillon were in the fray. Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) fielded Govind Singh Sandhu, who is the maternal grandson of former MP and party chief Simranjit Singh Mann, while AAP rebel Gurdeep Singh Batth contested as an independent candidate.

From the Chabbewal reserve assembly segment, AAP's Dr Ishank Kumar Chabbewal, BJP's Sohan Singh Thandal and the Congress' Ranjit Kumar had entered the fray.

From the Dera Baba Nanak seat, Congress candidate Jatinder Kaur, AAP nominee Gurdeep Singh Randhawa and BJP's Ravikaran Singh Kahlon were in the fray.

Pujab Assembly nos.

The AAP currently has 91 MLAs in the 117-member Punjab Assembly, while the Congress has 15. The Shiromani Akali Dal has three MLAs, the BJP two and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) one. One seat is held by an Independent MLA.