Chandigarh, Nov. 15 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) performance in the Tarn Taran assembly byelection - securing only 6,229 votes and finishing fifth - underlines the party's continued struggle to gain a foothold in Punjab's Panthic-dominated regions.

Despite raising expectations internally, the BJP fell far short of its 10,000-vote target, signalling that its organisational outreach and messaging still face deep resistance in rural Sikh-majority constituencies.

This was the BJP's second independent contest in Tarn Taran after it parted ways with its long-time alliance partner Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in 2020. Though the party improved on the 1,176 votes it polled in 2022, the growth remained modest, especially considering the ...