Hardev Singh Laddi shocked Punjab politics in 2018 by breaking a 21-year Akali fortress in Shahkot, winning the by-election with a huge margin of 38,801 votes. He repeated his victory in 2022 as well, but this time with a massive 24% drop in vote share, a shrinking margin, and AAP suddenly emerging as a strong contender while SAD still held its traditional base. So as 2027 approaches, the real question is, has Laddi truly built a long-term hold over Shahkot, or is his back-to-back victory hiding the fact that his grip on the constituency is steadily weakening beneath the surface ?
2018 में हरदेव सिंह लाडी ने शाहकोट में 21 साल पुराने अकाली किले को तोड़ते हुए उपचुनाव में 38,801 वोटों की भारी बढ़त से जीत हासिल कर पंजाब की राजनीति को चौंका दिया था। 2022 में उन्होंने फिर जीत दोहराई लेकिन इस बार उनका वोट प्रतिशत 24% तक गिर गया, बढ़त भी कम हो गई और AAP मज़बूत दावेदार बन कर उभरी जबकि SAD ने अपना परंपरागत आधार बनाए रखा। तो 2027 नज़दीक आते हुए असली सवाल यह है, क्या लाडी वाकई शाहकोट में मज़बूत पकड़ बना चुके हैं या दो लगातार जीतें सिर्फ यह छुपा रही हैं कि उनकी पकड़ धीरे-धीरे कमजोर होती जा रही है ?
Harinder Pal Singh Harry Mann has one of the most unusual political journeys in Punjab. Once handpicked by Sukhbir Singh Badal and appointed Punjab’s Information Commissioner in 2012, later made SAD vice president. Ahead of 2017 elections, he resigned from SAD to join Congress, hoping to contest from Samana. But even after shifting camps, his political graph never really took off, and in 2022, contesting from Sanaur, he finished a distant third with just 15.4% votes. Now, as 2027 approaches, the question is bigger than party-switching or ticket-chasing, did Harry Mann ever build a real political base of his own or has he spent a decade moving between parties without finding a constituency that actually wants him ?
