Amritsar, Nov. 15 -- Jailed radical leader Amritpal Singh's Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) suffered a setback in the Tarn Taran bypoll, with its informal candidate Mandeep Singh Khalsa finishing third. Khalsa secured 19,620 votes, far behind the winning AAP candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu, who won by a margin of over double the votes.

Khalsa, brother of Sandeep Singh Sunny - accused in the murder of Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri - was fielded after the party's strong performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Khadoor Sahib, where Amritpal Singh himself had secured a massive win. The Tarn Taran constituency is part of the same Khadoor Sahib region, but the bypoll result showed a significant dip in support for the Amritpal-led fac...