The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced its candidates for the upcoming bypolls in Punjab, scheduled for November 13, releasing the list on social media platform X on Sunday. These bypolls are necessitated by the election of the current MLAs to the Lok Sabha.
From Gidderbaha, AAP has fielded Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon, who joined the party after leaving the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in August. At 57, Dhillon has a political history, having previously contested elections from the Gidderbaha seat in 2017 and 2022 without success. He also served as the chairman of the Muktsar district planning board. The Gidderbaha seat became vacant following the election of Congress MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring to the Lok Sabha from Ludhiana earlier this year.
In the Chabbewal (SC) segment, AAP has named Ishank Chabbewal, a doctor and the son of AAP Hoshiarpur MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal, as its candidate. The need for a bypoll in Chabbewal arose after Raj Kumar Chabbewal, previously a Congress MLA, was elected to the Lok Sabha from Hoshiarpur.
Harinder Singh Dhaliwal has been chosen as the party's candidate for the Barnala seat. At 35, Dhaliwal is a close associate of Sangrur MP and former Barnala MLA Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, and has been with the AAP since 2012. This seat fell vacant after Hayer's election to the Lok Sabha, following his victories in both 2017 and 2022.
For the Dera Baba Nanak assembly constituency, AAP has selected Gurdeep Singh Randhawa, who contested the 2022 polls for this seat but was defeated by Congress' Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. The Dera Baba Nanak seat became vacant after Randhawa was elected to the Lok Sabha from Gurdaspur.
The counting of votes for the bypolls will take place on November 23.