AAP battles to keep Tarn Taran seat as Akalis look for revival

Campaigning for the Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll ended on Sunday evening. The high-voltage contest has kept political parties on edge. However, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has pulled out all stops to retain the seat, is facing anxious moments as the constituency heads to vote with its key opponent, the SAD, showing signs of revival.

Political observers feel that for AAP, a defeat would carry symbolic weight, not affecting the government’s majority in the Assembly but delivering a significant political embarrassment and giving ammunition to the opposition. And for this reason, the desperation shown by AAP leaders was quite evident.

On the other hand, a win here would help it claim that public confidence in the government remains intact. The party has used every possible measure