Battle lines drawn for 4 Punjab seats

The Congress and AAP are pitted in a high-stakes battle for Punjab’s Gidderbaha, Barnala, Dera Baba Nanak and Chabbewal with the BJP trying to position itself as the third force amid a weakened SAD. Campaigning for byelections to the four Assembly segments ended on Monday. The polling is slated for November 20 and counting will take place on November 23. State Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C said as many as 6,96,965 voters would be eligible to cast ballot at 831 polling stations in the four segments. A total of 244 polling stations have been declared critical.

The bypolls are crucial for Congress top leaders PCC chief Amrinder Raj Warring, whose wife Amrita Warring is contesting from Gidderbaha; and Sukhjinder Randahwa, whose spouse Jatinder Kaur is in the fray from Dera Baba Nanak; besides senior leader Manpreet Badal, who is contesting on the BJP ticket from Gidderbaha. For AAP, the Arvind Kejriwal-led central leadership has remained at the centre of the party’s campaign strategy.