Chandigarh, Nov. 14 -- Despite deploying senior leaders and running a high-visibility campaign, the BJP suffered a major blow in the Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll, sliding to the fifth position and losing its security deposit.
Party nominee Harjeet Singh Sandhu managed a little over 5,000 votes, even as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) maintained a comfortable lead of more than 10,000 votes throughout the count.
The campaign for the seat had witnessed significant attention from the BJP, with Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Delhi minister Rekha Gupta, and several top organisational leaders addressing rallies. However, the intensified outreach failed to shift voter sentiment in the largely Panthic belt.
A senior BJP functionary, responding...