Punjab latest updates: Congress' Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa emerges victorious in Gurdaspur

Fortunes of Congress, BJP and AAP locked in EVMs, leads to trickle in soon

Indian National Congress' (INC) Sukhjinder Singh has won the Gurdaspur seat in Punjab, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Dinesh Singh Babbu by close to 83,000 votes.

After winning Gurdaspur in 2014 and 2019, the BJP had pinned its hopes on an encore in 2024 elections, though it had lost the by-poll in 2017. Though the performance of BJP's outgoing MP Sunny Deol had come under fire during his term, it was banking on the influence of Hindu votes in this constituency to help it sail through in 2024.

Update at 4.45 pm: INC's candidate Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa's lead over his BJP opponent Dinesh Singh Babbu has widened to over 82,000 votes, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI) data.

Update at 2.45 pm: Congress' Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa continues be ahead in Gurdaspur, with BJP candidate Dinesh Singh Babbu trailing by over 47,000 votes, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI) results data.

Update at 11.25 am: Congress' Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa leading in Gurdaspur

Update at 10.45 am: Congress' Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa is still in the lead from Gurdaspur.

Update at 10.10 am: Congress' Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa continues to lead from Gurdaspur.

Update at 9.35 am: Congress' Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa is leading from the Gurdaspur constituency, previously held by the BJP.

Overall, the Congress is leading in seven seats in Punjab, followed by AAP with two leads and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) with two and others with one. BJP has not opened its account so far.

For the first time since 1998, Gurdaspur will not have a star MP candidate in the fray. After being accustomed to celebrity representatives like Hindi movie superstars late Vinod Khanna (1998-2014) and Sunny Deol (2019), the constituency is set to witness a relatively low-profile battle this time.

BJP has fielded Dinesh Singh, with former Congress deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Aam Aadmi Party’s Amansher Singh being the other key candidates who have thrown their hats into the ring.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Deol triumphed over Congress’ Sunil Jakhar by a margin of over 82,000 votes. The latter had won the 2017 by-poll that was necessitated due to the death of BJP MP Vinod Khanna. Deol, however, has constantly faced criticism for being missing from action at crucial junctures and not taking active interest in discharging his duties as an MP effectively.

His track record could make the going tough for the BJP, but it is banking on a consolidation of Hindu votes in the border constituency and split in opposition votes (as AAP and Congress are contesting separately) to help it sail through.

Also read: Punjab Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Key constituencies and candidates

As per News18 Mega Exit Poll’s projections, Congress will lead the seat tally in the state with 8-10 seats. The BJP, which is contesting the Lok Sabha elections in the state on its own after 25 years, is likely to bag two to four seats.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), however, is expected to win just 0-1 seat, with regional party Shiromani Akali Dal (Sukhbir Badal) drawing a blank. The exit poll forecasts a vote share of 41 percent for Congress in Punjab, 39 percent for others (AAP, SAD, BSP etc), with the BJP expected to garner a 20 percent share.