Bibi Khalra Supports Independent Mandeep Singh in Tarn Taran By-poll

24 Oct was the last day for the withdrawal of the nominations for the Tarn Taran Assembly by-poll scheduled for 11 Nov. Papers of six people were rejected, five withdrew from the race, and 15 candidates are left in the fray. Political parties in Panjab have intensified their campaigning. Panthic (Sikh collective) activist Bibi Paramjit Kaur Khalra, wife of the martyred human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, has urged voters to support independent candidate Mandeep Singh backed by Akali Dal (Waris Panjab De). Bibi Paramjit's appeal comes after the party, led by jailed Member of Parliament Amritpal Singh, was reportedly unable to persuade her to contest the election. Mandeep is the brother of Sandeep Singh alias Sunny who is an undertrial and in jail. Declaring Mandeep as the 'candidate of the entire Panth,' Bibi Khalra called upon Sikhs to unite and ensure his success in the by-poll. According to the 2011 Census, the Sikh population is 93% in Tarn Taran district. The Assembly constituency is much smaller than the district but has a similar proportion of population. On 25 Oct, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal staged a protest against police for registering 'false' cases against SAD workers. The previous day, SAD filed a complaint with the Panjab Chief Electoral Officer against Tarn Taran Senior Superintendent of Police Ravjot Kaur Grewal, accusing her of acting on behalf of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party. SAD has fielded Principal Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa who is part of a Dharmi Fauji (righteous soldier) family as her husband had deserted the Indian Army following ‘Operation Blue Star’ in 1984. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, accompanied by ruling AAP's Panjab affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia, addressed party volunteers in favor of their candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu. He said, 'They call this a semi-final to the 2027 poll, but this is not a game, this is a vote for truth and development'. On 26 Oct, at the time of the AAP roadshow, thousands of employees, especially of the Aam Aadmi Clinics, were protesting in the town stressing on acceptance of their demands (earlier coverage).