The Khadoor Sahib parliamentary constituency has been thrust into the limelight following the decision by Amritpal Singh, leader of 'Waris Punjab De,' to run as an independent candidate. This predominantly Sikh region encompasses nine assembly constituencies, including Jandiala, Tarn Taran, Khem Karan, Patti, Khadoor Sahib, Baba Bakala, Jira, Sultanpur Lodhi, and Kapurthala. With religious issues at its core, this Lok Sabha constituency is often characterized as a 'religious seat.'
This election, the complete sentences of reformed former Khalistani terrorists (referred to as 'Bandi Sikhs'), cases of sacrilege, and the arrest of Amritpal Singh may dominate the agenda. Amritpal's decision to contest the Lok Sabha elections as an independent has troubled the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), who had sought support from Amritpal’s family.
In the past, SAD candidate Virsa Singh Valtoha from Khadoor Sahib, known for sympathizing with radicals, met with Amritpal’s father Tarsem Singh, who reportedly assured him of his full support. Two developments that will likely impact the SAD Badal are the Akali Dal Amritsar retracting its candidate in favor of Amritpal and the unconditional support from Paramjit Kaur Khalra. Khalra contested in 2019, securing 20.51 percent of the votes and is now leading Amritpal Singh's campaign.
The Akali Dal fears division of the Sikh vote
The SAD Badal also fears a split in the Sikh vote as in 2019. Identifying openly as a religious party, the SAD lost the previous election due to this vote division. Their main challenge is to counter Amritpal Singh’s influence among voters and render it ineffective. Rivals target the SAD over sacrilege cases that arose during the SAD-BJP tenure.
Initially, SAD supported the demand to shift Amritpal from Assam jail to Punjab but now targets him. SAD candidate Valtoha accuses Amritpal of endangering the faith and having ties with the RSS. In the 2019 election, Congress’s Jasbir Singh Gill emerged victorious here with 43.95% of votes, followed by SAD-BJP’s Jagir Kaur with 30.51%. Parmjit Kaur Khalra, wife of activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, was third with 20.51%. AAP’s Manjinder Singh Sidhu managed only 1.31% of the votes.
The Khadoor Sahib seat, a stronghold of the Akali Dal
Kahdoor Sahib has been a fortress for the SAD (Badal), claiming victory in the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections. However, their voter share has dwindled from 49.43% in 2009 to 30.51% in 2019. AAP forfeited their deposit in 2019, garnering just a 1.31% vote share. Notably, in the 2022 assembly elections, AAP’s vote share surged beyond expectations, winning 7 of 9 assembly constituencies in the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha area. The remaining two seats were taken by Congress’s Rana Gurjit Singh and his son Inder Partap Singh.
Rana Gurjit Singh, who wanted his son to bag the Congress ticket from Khadoor Sahib this time, was reportedly disgruntled after the party nominated Kulbir Singh Zira. A video of one of his supporters went viral, claiming Amritpal is receiving a positive response in several segments. At first, a triangular contest seemed evident in the constituency, but with Amritpal’s announcement, the tussle has become SAD (Badal) Vs. Amritpal and Congress Vs. AAP. Mainstream voter’s choice may split between AAP and Congress, while hardliner votes could divide between SAD (Badal) and Amritpal.
