Punjab bypolls: Kejriwal campaigns in Gidderbaha, Barnala

Gidderbaha/Barnala, Punjab: All work pending for the last 28 years in Gidderbaha will be finished within the next two and half years, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday, as urged voters to cast their ballot to the party candidate.

Kejriwal made the promise campaigning for party nominee Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon, who is pitted against Congress nominee Amrita Warring, and BJP candidate Manpreet Singh Badal.

The bypolls to the four assembly seats – Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal and Barnala — will take place on November 20 and counting of votes will be held on November 23.

The Gidderbaha seat fell vacant after Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, who was a Congress MLA, was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Ludhiana seat in the 2024 parliamentary elections.

"The work which was held up in the last 28 years will be done in two and half years. There will not be any shortage of funds," Kejriwal said, referring to the tenure of Badal and Warring, who between them represented the seat in Muktsar for close to three decades.

Manpreet Badal represented the Gidderbaha seat in 1995, 1997, 2002 and 2007 on Shiromani Akali Dal tickets. Warring won the seat in 2012, 2017 and 2022.

"If you elect an MLA of the party which is at the helm, then your work will be done. If an MLA is of the AAP, then all your work will be done," said the AAP leader.

He promised that his government would resolve the problems of sewage and drinking water, repair all roads, including Gidderbaha-Lambi, and build sports stadiums in the constituency.

The AAP government in Punjab in the first half of its term made electricity free for domestic consumers, he said.

"Your support to the Aam Aadmi Party has been historic. Never before has any party received such overwhelming backing in Punjab. You gave us 92 seats out of 117 in 2022.

"Over the past two and a half years, we have been working relentlessly for the people of Punjab, ensuring zero electricity bills for households and offering free treatment and medicine at Mohalla Clinics," Kejriwal said.

He said that before his party came to power, the people of Punjab were beset with huge electricity bills, but the AAP government waived the old bills and made future electricity free.

"Only consumers in Punjab and Delhi are getting zero electricity bills," he said.

He said 'mohalla clinics' are being set up across the state for the people to get free treatment, and civil hospitals are being transformed.

Kejriwal said the AAP government in Punjab generated 48,000 jobs in the past two-and-half years.

At another public meeting in Barnala, Kejriwal campaigned for party nominee Harinder Singh Dhaliwal.

"Barnala is the capital of the Aam Aadmi Party. In all the elections since the formation of the party, the people of Barnala have elected AAP. With your blessings, Bhagwant Mann reached Parliament twice.

"In both the 2017 and 2022 assembly elections, you elected the AAP candidate. This time, please elect our candidate Harinder Dhaliwal and he will always be available for you whenever needed," he said.

"When your Member of Parliament, your MLA, and the state government all belong to the same party, Barnala's development will accelerate. But if an MLA from any other party wins, he will only fight with us, and no work will be done because the state government belongs to the Aam Aadmi Party. Our MLA will focus only on working," Kejriwal added.

He said the state government has approved projects worth Rs 87 crore for drinking water and sewage.

"There will be no shortage. A sum of Rs 25 crore has been allocated for repairing all damaged roads, and the beautification of major squares in the city is also in progress. Preparations are underway to make Barnala Ring Road a four-lane. The work will begin soon," said Kejriwal.

The Barnala assembly seat fell vacant after Gurmeet Sigh Hayer, who was an AAP MLA from here, was elected from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat.

Hayer had won the Barnala seat in the 2017 and 2022 assembly polls.