Premium

Tarn Taran bypoll: 60.95 per cent turnout as Akalis cry police excess

Polling began at 7 am and ended at 6 pm, amid tight security measures, Deputy Commissioner Rahul said. The counting of votes will take place on November 14.

4 min readAmritsarNov 12, 2025 12:06 AM IST

Tarn Taran bypoll, Tarn Taran Assembly by-election, AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal, Akalis, Indian express news, current affairs

Around 100 booths were marked sensitive, all monitored through live webcasting and guarded by CRPF personnel.

A voter turnout of 60.95 per cent was recorded in Tarn Taran where polling for the Assembly by-election remained peaceful even as Shiromani Akali Dal accused the local police of acting on orders of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party to intimidate the voters. In the 2022 Assembly polls, Tarn Taran had seen a voter turnout of 65.81 per cent.

A total of 15 candidates are in the fray for the bypoll that was necessitated following the demise of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal in June.

Polling began at 7 am and ended at 6 pm, amid tight security measures, Deputy Commissioner Rahul said. The counting of votes will take place on November 14.

Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C said that 60.95 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 6 pm. He said the figure may be revised by Wednesday once all polling parties return to the collection centres and final data entry is completed.

As per the CEO, 11 per cent polling was recorded in the first two hours (7 am to 9 am), which went up to 23.35 per cent at till 11 am, 36.62 per cent at 1 pm, 48.84 per cent at 3 pm and 59.21 per cent at 5 pm.

The morning chill failed to deter the voters, particularly the elderly, who queued up at the polling stations. Among the early voters were Congress candidate Karanbir Singh Burj and AAP candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Sukwinder Kaur Randhawa cast her vote in Kaka Kandiala village in the afternoon. She was accompanied by her daughter Kanchanpreet Kaur. In Mianpur, the native village of alleged gangster Amritpal Singh Bath, who is also son-in-law of Sukhwinder Randhawa, only Akali Dal’s counter was seen.

Despite overall calm, the day saw heated exchanges between political parties. The Akali Dal accused the police of acting under instructions from the AAP government. The party alleged that an SHO, Gurcharan Singh, and an ASI, Gurpreet Singh, manhandled the party workers and arrested a local leader, Lovely Pradhan. The party shared a video of the incident on social media and said it will lodge a formal complaint with the Election Commission.

Story continues below this ad

Earlier in the day, Akali Dal also alleged that police had cleared their polling booth counters under the guise of checking and stationed the forces nearby in “an attempt to intimidate the party workers”.

Independent candidate Mandeep Singh couldn’t manage to set up his counter in all the villages, but is hoping to bag a considerable number of “silent votes”. Mandeep has the backing of Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) led by jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, Giani Harpreet Singh-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit), Simranjit Singh Mann-led SAD (Amritsar) and some radical Sikh bodies, including the Sikh Youth Federation (Bhindranwale).

Mandeep Singh is the brother of Sandeep Singh, an accused in the 2022 murder of Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri. Sandeep is also implicated in an attack on three former police officers, including two who were convicted in a fake encounter case in Tarn Taran, inside the Patiala jail. One of the convicted officers, Suba Singh, succumbed to his injuries on September 17.

The Congress has nominated its Tarn Taran district unit chief, Karanbir Singh Burj, for the by-election. Burj, an agriculturalist and real estate businessman, is contesting elections for the first time.

Story continues below this ad

The BJP, which has fielded Harjit Singh Sandhu, the president of the party’s district unit as its, had managed to set up booths in nearly all the villages — a positive step for the saffron party that had witnessed mass boycotts earlier over the now-repealed agri laws.

The AAP’s counters remained most active. The bypoll is being seen as a litmus test for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and will throw light on the popularity of the AAP regime’s policies and programmes among voters in the border constituency.

Around 100 booths were marked sensitive, all monitored through live webcasting and guarded by CRPF personnel.

SSP Surinder Singh Lamba said that about 2,500 security personnel, including 12 companies of BSF, were deployed, and 500 BSF jawans were specifically assigned to polling stations to maintain order.

Kamaldeep Singh Brar

Kamaldeep Singh Brar is a Principal Correspondent at The Indian Express, primarily covering Amritsar and the Majha region of Punjab. He is one of the publication's key reporters for stories involving the Akal Takht, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), and the sensitive socio-political issues of the border districts. Core Beats & Specializations Religious & Panthic Affairs: He has deep expertise in the internal workings of the Akal Takht and SGPC, frequently reporting on religious sentences (Tankhah), Panthic politics, and the influence of Sikh institutions. National Security & Crime: His reporting covers cross-border drug smuggling, drone activities from Pakistan, and the activities of radical groups. Regional Politics: He is the primary correspondent for the Majha belt, covering elections and political shifts in Amritsar, Tarn Taran, and Gurdaspur. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His work in late 2025 has been centered on judicial developments, local body elections, and religious controversies: 1. Religious Politics & Akal Takht "Akal Takht pronounces religious sentences against former Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh" (Dec 8, 2025): Covering the historic decision to hold the former Jathedar guilty for granting a pardon to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in 2015. "YouTube suspends SGPC’s channel for a week over video on 1984 Army action" (Nov 20, 2025): Reporting on the digital friction between global tech platforms and Sikh religious bodies. "As AAP govt grants Amritsar holy tag, a look at its fraught demand" (Nov 28, 2025): An analytical piece on the long-standing demand for declaring Amritsar a "holy city" and its political implications. 2. Crime & National Security "Mostly Khalistanis on Amritpal’s hit list: Punjab govt to High Court" (Dec 16, 2025): Reporting on the state government's claims regarding jailed MP Amritpal Singh orchestrating activity from prison. "Punjab man with links to Pakistan’s ISI handlers killed in encounter" (Nov 20, 2025): Detailing a police operation in Amritsar involving "newly refurbished" firearms likely sent from across the border. "15 schools in Amritsar get bomb threat emails; police launch probe" (Dec 12, 2025): Covering the panic and police response to mass threats against educational institutions. 3. Political Analysis & Elections "AAP wins 12 of 15 zones in SAD stronghold Majitha" (Dec 19, 2025): Highlighting a significant shift in the 2025 rural elections where the Akali Dal lost its grip on a traditional fortress. "Tarn Taran bypoll: woman faces threats after complaining to CM Mann about drug menace" (Nov 9, 2025): A ground report on the personal risks faced by citizens speaking out against the illegal drug trade in border villages. "AAP wins Tarn Taran bypoll, but SAD finds silver lining" (Nov 14, 2025): Analyzing the 2025 assembly by-election results and the surprising performance of Independents backed by radical factions. 4. Human Interest "Two couples and a baby: Punjab drug addiction tragedy has new victims" (Nov 20, 2025): A tragic investigative piece about parents selling an infant to fund their addiction. "Kashmiri women artisans debut at Amritsar’s PITEX" (Dec 8, 2025): A feature on financial independence initiatives for rural women at the Punjab International Trade Expo. Signature Beat Kamaldeep is known for his nuanced understanding of border dynamics. His reporting often highlights the "drug crisis in the underprivileged localities" (like Muradpur in Tarn Taran, Nov 9, 2025), providing a voice to marginalized communities affected by addiction and administrative neglect. X (Twitter): @kamalsbrar ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
Amritsar

Loading Taboola...