Manpreet Singh Badal is BJP’s choice from Gidderbaha

Here are the profiles of the candidates:

Manpreet Singh Badal

Age: 61

Constituency: Gidderbaha

Manpreet Singh Badal, former finance minister of Punjab, is the BJP’s choice for Gidderbaha. He has been active in the area for the past several weeks. Manpreet joined the BJP in January 2023. He began his political journey with the Shiromani Akali Dal, contesting his first election in 1995 from Gidderbaha in a by-election after his uncle, Parkash Singh Badal, vacated the seat for him. He won the assembly elections in 1995, 1997, 2002, and 2007 from Gidderbaha, which is in Muktsar district—the Badals’ home district.

In September 2011, Manpreet resigned from the Akali Dal over differences related to subsidies and floated his own party, the People’s Party of Punjab (PPP). His party contested the 2012 assembly elections, with his father, Gurdas Badal, running against his brother, Parkash Singh Badal, in Lambi. However, the PPP did not win any seats, and Manpreet lost from Gidderbaha as well. The SAD-BJP alliance returned to power in Punjab for a second consecutive term.

In 2014, Manpreet unsuccessfully contested the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat against his sister-in-law, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, on a Congress ticket after forming an alliance with the party. He later merged his party with Congress and won the Bathinda Urban assembly seat in 2017. Manpreet served as the finance minister of Punjab both during the SAD-BJP alliance (March 2007–September 2011) and during the Congress government (2017–2022).

Kewal Dhillon

Age: 74

Constituency: Barnala

Kewal Dhillon joined the BJP in June 2022 after switching from Congress. He won the Barnala assembly seat in 2012 on a Congress ticket by around 5,500 votes, defeating SAD’s Malkeet Singh Keetu. In 2017, he lost to AAP’s Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer by around 2,700 votes. Congress did not give him a ticket in 2022, and after the elections, he joined the BJP. Soon after joining, he was declared the BJP candidate for the Sangrur by-election in June 2022, where he finished fourth, ahead of the Akali Dal, securing 66,298 votes. In 2019, he also unsuccessfully contested the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket, losing to Bhagwant Mann by around 1.1 lakh votes. Dhillon has been active in social activities in Barnala in recent months.

Ravi Karan Kahlon

Age: 51

Constituency: Dera Baba Nanak

Ravi Karan Kahlon joined the BJP in May 2024 after being expelled from the Akali Dal. He is the son of former Punjab Assembly speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon. Ravi Karan was the SAD’s general secretary and in charge of Dera Baba Nanak, the seat he lost to Congress’s Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa by 466 votes in 2022. His father, Nirmal Singh, was the MLA for Fatehgarh Churian in 1997 and 2007 and served as rural development and panchayat minister in 1997 and as speaker of the Vidhan Sabha from 2007 to 2012. Kahlon has remained active in Dera Baba Nanak since his 2022 defeat.

Rumours circulated recently that Kahlon might switch to AAP after he was seen with Punjab speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan at an event in his constituency in September. However, Kahlon denied these rumours, and on Tuesday, he was officially announced as the BJP candidate from Dera Baba Nanak.