 "Amritpal Singh")
Jailed Sikh leader Amritpal Singh is emerging as a front-runner from Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib seat in the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Currently, Amritpal Singh is leading from the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat. According to trends, he is ahead of his nearest rival, Congress's Kulbir Singh Zira, by over 25,000 votes.
Other candidates in the fray include Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Laljit Singh Bhullar and Harpal Singh Baler from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). In Punjab, the AAP and Congress are leading in five seats each.
The Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, one of the 13 in Punjab, was established after the 2008 delimitation and is part of Tarn Taran district, comprising nine assembly seats.
Imprisoned in Dibrugarh
Amritpal Singh, a Khalistani seperatist and chief of the ‘Waris Punjab De’ outfit, has been imprisoned in Dibrugarh, Assam under the National Security Act (NSA) since April 2023. Despite his imprisonment, he contested as an Independent candidate with his campaign led by his father, Tarsem Singh, and local supporters. According to his father, people from across Punjab are independently coming forward to support Amritpal.
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His candidature has brought national attention to the constituency. He is competing against Congress candidate Kulbir Singh Zira and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Virsa Singh Valtoha.
Poll slogan: Release of ‘Bandi Singhs’
During his poll campaign in the state in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, Amritpal Singh raised the issue of the release of ‘Bandi Singhs’ or Sikh prisoners who have completed their terms. He even promised to eradicate drug menace in Punjab in his 2024 election campaign.
‘Microphone’ symbol
Amritpal Singh was allotted the election symbol of a ‘Microphone’. He is one of the 169 Independent candidates among the total 328 contenders who have been given election symbols.
Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, running as an Independent from the Faridkot (reserved) constituency, has been allotted the poll symbol of ‘Ganna Kisan’ (sugarcane farmer). Khalsa is the son of Beant Singh, one of the assassins of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Beant Singh, along with Satwant Singh, who were Indira Gandhi’s bodyguards, killed her on October 31, 1984, at her residence.
What happened in the 2019 elections?
In 2019, the Khadoor Sahib constituency had 16,38,842 eligible voters, but the voter turnout was only 63.96 per cent. Congress candidate Jasbir Singh Gill secured victory in the Khadoor Sahib constituency during the 2019 elections, with a winning margin of 1,40,573 votes.
The Indian National Congress (INC) was a member of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
