Tarn Taran Goes to Polls, Pathanmajra Flees to Australia

Tarn Taran, Panjab by-poll took place on 11 Nov; the results will be declared on 14 Nov. 192,838 voters will decide the fate of 15 candidates among whom the prominent are Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Harmeet Singh Sandhu, Shiromani Akali Dal's (SAD) Sukhwinder Kaur, and independent candidate Mandeep Singh backed by Akali Dal (Waris Panjab De) and breakaway SAD. Breakaway SAD leader Giani Harpreet Singh said Mandeep's victory would not just be an electoral win, but 'a triumph of Panthic (Sikh collective) ideals and Sikh unity.' The by-poll, necessitated by the death of AAP Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal in June, is being seen as a crucial fight before 2027 Panjab assembly elections. Meanwhile, on 8 Nov, the Election Commission suspended Tarn Taran Senior Superintendent of Police Ravjot Kaur Grewal on the basis of complaints by SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal. Though no reason has been mentioned in the orders, for the last few weeks SAD had been complaining of arrests of their cadre and cases on them on the behest of ruling AAP. Also, days before the hearing of a land acquisition for a National Highways Authority of India project at the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Panjab chief secretary has suspended Moga Additional Deputy Commissioner Charumita Shekhar. Concurrently, Panjab police have issued a lookout notice against AAP MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, who has been absconding since 2 Sep. During the recent Panjab floods, Harmeet had spoken against Panjab Principal Secretary of Water Resources Krishan Kumar. On 7 Nov, Pathanmajra appeared in a video interview with an Australia-based Panjabi web channel in which he claimed that he would 'return home only after securing bail'. Denying allegations of rape, he termed the case a 'political conspiracy' aimed at silencing voices that speak for Panjab's people. 'In Panjab, ministers and MLAs are not consulted on key matters. Freedom of speech is being curtailed. After losing in Delhi, those leaders (AAP) have now taken over Panjab, and they are ruining it the same way,' he alleged, while expressing full faith in the judiciary (earlier coverage).