Manpreet Badal may get BJP ticket from Gidderbaha

After battling health challenges, former five-time MLA and Congress-turned-BJP leader, Manpreet Singh Badal, is preparing to contest the Gidderbaha Assembly bypoll. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nearly finalised his candidature, marking his first election on a BJP ticket. Previously, Badal has represented the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Congress, and the People’s Party of Punjab, which he founded.

In another key byelection, the BJP is poised to field Kewal Dhillon, another Congress-turned-BJP leader, in the Barnala constituency. Both leaders have been active in their respective Assembly seats, regularly engaging with party workers and voters.

For the Dera Baba Nanak bypoll, party sources suggest Ravi Karan Kahlon is a front-runner, though other candidates are being considered. The BJP is yet to finalise its candidate for the Chabbewal byelection.

Facing challenges such as a lack of ground support, internal infighting between traditional BJP leaders and former Congress members, and a leadership vacuum, the BJP is viewing these byelections as an opportunity to expand its base in Punjab. A senior leader noted that even during the recent panchayat elections, the party was actively seeking fresh talent to groom as future leaders.

The leadership crisis has been evident since July, when incumbent president Sunil Jakhar stopped participating in party activities. Despite efforts to reinstate him, the BJP formed teams of Assembly poll in-charges, co-in-charges, and mandal coordinators to oversee campaign efforts. Punjab BJP’s state office secretary, Sunil Bhardwaj, confirmed that senior leaders have been appointed to manage campaigns across the four key constituencies, with Avinash Rai Khanna overseeing Gidderbaha and Manoranjan Kalia leading Barnala efforts.