Punjab By-Elections Since 2022: All 9 Bypoll Results & Margins
All nine Punjab by-elections since 2022 with winners, runners-up and margins, and what the pattern says before the 2027 Assembly election.
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Between the March 2022 Assembly election and the 2027 contest, Punjab has held nine by-elections: two for the Lok Sabha and seven for the Assembly. They are the only head-to-head votes the parties have had since AAP won 92 of 117 seats, so they are the nearest thing to a running scorecard. This page lists each one with the winner, the runner-up and the margin, and keeps the limits of the evidence in view: by-elections are held on one seat, with low stakes for government formation, and often follow a death or a defection.
🧠 AI Overview Summary
Punjab has had nine by-elections since the 2022 Assembly election. AAP won seven of them (six of seven Assembly seats and the 2023 Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat), Congress won one (Barnala, November 2024) and SAD (Amritsar) won one (the 2022 Sangrur Lok Sabha seat). AAP lost Sangrur and Barnala, both of which it had held. No Punjab by-election has been found for 2026 as of November 8, 2026.
Punjab By-Elections in Six Points
- AAP won 7 of 9: six of the seven Assembly bypolls and the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat in 2023.
- Its two losses were its own seats: Sangrur (June 2022, to SAD Amritsar by 5,822 votes) and Barnala (November 2024, to Congress by 2,157 votes).
- Three Congress seats flipped: Chabbewal, Dera Baba Nanak and Gidderbaha went to AAP in November 2024, and AAP also took Jalandhar Lok Sabha from Congress in 2023.
- Margins vary widely: from 2,157 (Barnala) to 58,691 (Jalandhar Lok Sabha) and 37,325 (Jalandhar West).
- The BJP has not won any of them, and SAD did not field a candidate in the November 2024 round according to press reports; SAD was runner-up in Tarn Taran in 2025.
- Not a forecast: a single-seat bypoll is a weak guide to 117 seats, and the 2024 Lok Sabha result looked different.
Punjab Bypoll Scorecard, 2022 to 2025
Winner, runner-up and margin in votes. Margins are computed from the vote totals reported by the news sources listed below; where sources differ by a few votes, this is noted.
| Bypoll | Winner (party) | Votes | Runner-up (party) | Votes | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sangrur Lok Sabha, Jun 2022 | Simranjit Singh Mann (SAD-Amritsar) | 2,53,154 | Gurmail Singh (AAP) | 2,47,332 | 5,822 |
| Jalandhar Lok Sabha, May 2023 | Sushil Kumar Rinku (AAP) | 3,02,279 | Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary (INC) | 2,43,588 | 58,691 |
| Jalandhar West, Jul 2024 | Mohinder Bhagat (AAP) | 55,246 | Sheetal Angural (BJP) | 17,921 | 37,325 |
| Chabbewal, Nov 2024 | Ishank Kumar (AAP) | 51,904 | Ranjit Kumar (INC) | 23,314 | 28,590 |
| Dera Baba Nanak, Nov 2024 | Gurdeep Singh Randhawa (AAP) | 59,104 | Jatinder Kaur Randhawa (INC) | 53,405 | 5,699 |
| Gidderbaha, Nov 2024 | Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon (AAP) | 71,644 | Amrita Warring (INC) | 49,675 | 21,969 |
| Barnala, Nov 2024 | Kuldeep Singh Dhillon (INC) | 28,254 | Harinder Singh Dhaliwal (AAP) | 26,097 | 2,157 |
| Ludhiana West, Jun 2025 | Sanjeev Arora (AAP) | 35,179 | Bharat Bhushan Ashu (INC) | 24,542 | 10,637 |
| Tarn Taran, Nov 2025 | Harmeet Singh Sandhu (AAP) | 42,649 | Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa (SAD) | 30,558 | 12,091 |
Where sources disagree
Some outlets give the Jalandhar Lok Sabha margin as 58,647 instead of 58,691, and one report gives the Chabbewal margin as 28,690. AiTimeline uses the figure that matches the reported vote totals (302,279 minus 243,588, and 51,904 minus 23,314). The Election Commission of India’s result pages are the final authority.
The Two Lok Sabha Bypolls
Sangrur: AAP loses the Chief Minister’s old seat to SAD (Amritsar)
What happened: Simranjit Singh Mann of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) polled 2,53,154 votes and beat AAP’s Gurmail Singh (2,47,332) by 5,822 votes. Turnout was 45.30%. The seat fell vacant when Bhagwant Mann resigned as MP after becoming Chief Minister. ThePrint and Deccan Herald reported the result as a setback on the Chief Minister’s home turf, three months after the 92-seat win.
Why it matters: It was AAP’s first electoral loss as a government, and turnout was only 45.30%. Commentators at the time linked it to law-and-order concerns after the killing of singer Sidhu Moose Wala; that is an interpretation, not a proven cause.
Jalandhar: AAP takes a Congress seat after the death of the sitting MP
What happened: AAP’s Sushil Kumar Rinku polled 3,02,279 and beat Congress’s Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary (2,43,588) by 58,691 votes. The SAD-BSP candidate polled 1,58,445 and the BJP candidate 1,34,800. The seat was vacant after the death of Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary in January 2023.
Why it matters: It gave AAP its only Lok Sabha MP at the time and showed the vote splitting four ways, with SAD-BSP and the BJP each polling more than a lakh.
The Seven Assembly Bypolls
Jalandhar West: AAP beats the defector who left it
What happened: Mohinder Bhagat (AAP) polled 55,246 against 17,921 for Sheetal Angural, who had resigned as AAP’s MLA in March 2024 and joined the BJP and was then the BJP candidate. The margin was 37,325 votes.
Why it matters: A one-sided result that went against the party-switcher. It remains the biggest Assembly bypoll margin in the series.
Chabbewal, Dera Baba Nanak and Gidderbaha: AAP takes three Congress seats; Barnala goes to Congress
What happened: AAP’s Ishank Kumar won Chabbewal (51,904 to 23,314), Gurdeep Singh Randhawa won Dera Baba Nanak (59,104 to 53,405, margin 5,699) and Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon won Gidderbaha (71,644 to 49,675, margin 21,969). Congress’s Kuldeep Singh Dhillon won Barnala, beating AAP’s Harinder Singh Dhaliwal 28,254 to 26,097. Tribune called it AAP winning three Congress strongholds and losing its own Barnala. Press reports noted the wives of Congress leaders Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa lost in Gidderbaha and Dera Baba Nanak.
Why it matters: The round was triggered by sitting MLAs winning Lok Sabha seats in June 2024 and, in Chabbewal, an MLA moving to AAP. AAP’s 3-1 return came five months after Congress led the 2024 Lok Sabha count in more Assembly segments than AAP. Barnala, lost by 2,157 votes, is the narrowest margin in the list.
Ludhiana West: AAP holds after the death of its MLA
What happened: Sanjeev Arora (AAP) polled 35,179 against 24,542 for Congress’s Bharat Bhushan Ashu, a margin of 10,637. The seat was vacated by the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Gogi.
Why it matters: An urban seat that AAP held against a well-known Congress candidate, Bharat Bhushan Ashu. One seat does not reveal the state-wide picture.
Tarn Taran: AAP holds in a Panthic-belt seat, SAD second
What happened: Harmeet Singh Sandhu (AAP) polled 42,649 against 30,558 for SAD’s Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa, a margin of 12,091. The seat was vacated by the death of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal on June 27, 2025. Sukhbir Badal described SAD’s second place as a moral victory, according to Deccan Herald.
Why it matters: It is the most recent bypoll and the only Assembly bypoll in this series where the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) finished second. It sits in the Majha region, where the Panthic vote is a factor.
Which Seats Changed Hands
| Seat | Party that held it before | Party that won the bypoll | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sangrur (LS) | AAP | SAD (Amritsar) | Lost by AAP |
| Jalandhar (LS) | INC | AAP | Gained by AAP |
| Jalandhar West | AAP (MLA later joined BJP) | AAP | Held |
| Chabbewal | INC (MLA moved to AAP) | AAP | Gained by AAP |
| Dera Baba Nanak | INC | AAP | Gained by AAP |
| Gidderbaha | INC | AAP | Gained by AAP |
| Barnala | AAP | INC | Lost by AAP |
| Ludhiana West | AAP | AAP | Held |
| Tarn Taran | AAP | AAP | Held |
The ‘party that held it before’ column reflects who won or held the seat at the previous general election, per AiTimeline’s compilation from the reports cited below. Net effect on the 117-seat Assembly: AAP gained three seats from Congress and lost one to it, so the Assembly arithmetic has barely moved because of bypolls.
What the Bypolls Do and Do Not Show
✅ What the evidence supports
- AAP kept winning most seats it contested after its 2022 landslide, including three Congress-held ones
- Its only two losses were narrow and in its own seats
- The BJP has not won a Punjab bypoll since 2022
- The Akali Dal (Badal) finished second only once, in Tarn Taran, November 2025
🔄 What it cannot show
- A statewide vote share: each bypoll is one seat with its own candidates and local factors
- How votes would move if BJP and SAD ally, since they have contested separately in every bypoll listed
- Turnout effects: bypoll turnout (45.30% in Sangrur 2022) is far below the 72.15% of 2022
- Anything about 2027 candidate lists, which are still being announced
For the wider picture, compare the 2024 Lok Sabha result, where Congress won 7 of 13 seats and AAP 3, with the 2022 Assembly result on the Punjab tracker and the hub. The bypolls lean toward AAP; the Lok Sabha vote leaned toward Congress. Neither is a forecast of 2027.
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Punjab By-Elections: Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
Reporting and data used in this story.
- ThePrint: Simranjit Mann humbles AAP in CM’s constituency, wins Sangrur bypoll by 5,800 votes (Jun 2022)
- Tribune: AAP’s Rinku wins Jalandhar Lok Sabha byelection by 58,691 votes (May 2023)
- ThePrint: AAP’s Mohinder Bhagat defeats BJP’s Sheetal Angural in Jalandhar West (Jul 2024)
- Tribune: Punjab bypolls, AAP wins 3 Congress strongholds, loses own Barnala (Nov 2024)
- Free Press Journal: Punjab Bypolls 2024, AAP wins in 3 Congress strongholds (Nov 2024)
- ETV Bharat: AAP’s Sanjeev Arora wins Ludhiana West bypoll (Jun 2025)
- Election Commission of India: Ludhiana West bypoll, Jun 2025, candidate-wise results (Jun 2025)
- Election Commission of India: Tarn Taran bypoll, Nov 2025, candidate-wise results (Nov 2025)
- India TV: AAP retains Tarn Taran seat in bypolls (Nov 2025)
- Deccan Herald: In Tarn Taran poll battle SAD finishes second (Nov 2025)
Update History
- November 8, 2026: first version. Covers all nine Punjab by-elections from June 2022 to November 2025. Vote totals were cross-checked against the reports above; the ECI result pages are the final authority.