The parliamentary constituency of Gurdaspur in Punjab is all set to go to polls on Wednesday. The seat was vacant following the demise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and actor Vinod Khanna. The polling will begin at 8 AM and conclude at 5 PM today. The results of the bypoll will be declared on October 15.
Notably, a total of 11 candidates are fighting the election. From ruling party in centre, Swaran Salaria has been fielded. Salaria was recently accused of rape by a woman on the pretext of marriage.
While Congress has fielded senior party leader Sunil Jakhar, the Aam Aadmi Party that came second in the assembly polls, has fielded retired major general Suresh Khajuria.
For ruling Congress in the state, Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll will be the reflection of their six months work. For the BJP, it can be seen as a mode of regaining its hold. Congress grabbed 77 out of 117 seats in the Punjab Assembly elections 2017, while the Aam Aadmi Party won 20 seats.
The bypoll will also reflect the impact of SAD-BJP alliance. Reportedly, for the Gurdaspur bypoll, BJP left its entire poll management on SAD. The victory in Gurdaspur bypoll on October 15 will be a big boost ahead of the 2019 General Assembly elections for any party.
