CHANDIGARH: The Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll has turned into a political signal much larger than the outcome of a single seat, setting off conversations across Punjab about the Shiromani Akali Dal’s return to relevance in the Panthic space.
The contest has suggested that the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led party, long considered weakened by internal splits and declining electoral strength, has managed to hold its core support base in Majha and remains a strong force as the state begins looking toward the 2027 Assembly elections.
Even though the ruling Aam Aadmi Party retained the seat on counting day, the real political battle in Tarn Taran unfolded between the Badal-led SAD and the anti-Badal splinter groups attempting to challenge its Panthic influence.
In this shadow contest, SAD’s performance stood out. The determined fight put up by its candidate, Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa, signalled that the breakaway Akali outfits have struggled to dent the party’s traditional support network.
Randhawa, a retired school principal, carries the heritage of the Dharmi Fauji families men who left the armed forces and opposed the Army during Operation Blue Star. Her candidature in Khadoor Sahib, a region represented in Parliament by NSA detainee Amritpal Singh, helped SAD reconnect with old Panthic sentiments that have shaped politics in this belt for decades. Her ability to consolidate votes early in the counting process was seen as evidence that SAD’s organisational influence remained intact, especially in rural and semi-rural pockets.
Challenging her was Mandeep Singh, backed jointly by Waris Punjab De and the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punarsurjit). His candidature carried its own baggage: he is the brother of Sandeep Singh Sunny, an accused in the murder of Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri. Sunny, currently lodged in Sangrur jail, recently drew attention after he assaulted former police officers convicted in fake encounter cases inside Patiala jail.
While the alliance supporting Mandeep hoped to consolidate anti-Badal sentiments and the support of Amritpal Singh’s followers, the numbers indicated that this strategy could not match SAD’s deeper grassroots grip.
By the seventh round of counting, Randhawa had secured 15,521 votes almost double Mandeep’s 7,667 which set the tone for the remaining rounds. Even as the lead narrowed and SAD lost some of its early momentum, the party comfortably held on to second position through the middle phase of counting. By the tenth round, SAD had collected 19,598 votes, while the WPD-backed candidate stood at 11,793. In the eleventh round, SAD strengthened its second-place tally with 20,023 votes, leaving WPD at 13,142.
The political messaging from these figures has been significant. For Akali factions hoping to challenge the Badal family’s control over Panthic politics, the Tarn Taran numbers came as a setback. The term ‘punarsurjit’ a label used by some to describe the rebel Akali groups appeared to resonate with voters as a sign of fragmentation rather than renewal. The bypoll confirmed that these splinter formations have not been able to create a force strong enough to loosen SAD’s influence in areas where identity, religious history, and political loyalty intersect.
For SAD, the Tarn Taran performance offers something beyond vote totals: it has revived conversations within the party cadre, strengthened confidence in its leadership, and helped project a narrative that the Akali Dal remains the primary Panthic political force in Punjab. With the 2027 elections still some distance away, the party is likely to use this momentum to further consolidate its foothold in Majha, where political signals often shape statewide trends.
For AAP, the victory in Tarn Taran will count as a test it needed to clear, but the deeper political undercurrent belongs to SAD, which has shown signs of a gradual return to relevance. The bypoll has therefore become more than a win or loss it has offered an early glimpse into the battles that will define Punjab’s political landscape over the next two years
