Tirath Singh Mahla entered the 2022 Bagha Purana contest as the Shiromani Akali Dal candidate at a time when the party was struggling to hold ground across Punjab. He managed 33,384 votes (25.3%), finishing a distant second behind AAP, but well ahead of Congress. The result showed residual Akali presence, yet also underlined how far the party had slipped from its past dominance.
2022 के बाघापुराना विधानसभा चुनाव में तीरथ सिंह महला शिरोमणि अकाली दल के उम्मीदवार के रूप में मैदान में उतरे, ऐसे समय में जब पार्टी पूरे पंजाब में अपनी सियासी पकड़ बचाने के लिए संघर्ष कर रही थी। उन्होंने 33,384 वोट (25.3 प्रतिशत) हासिल किए और आम आदमी पार्टी से काफी पीछे दूसरे स्थान पर रहे, हालांकि कांग्रेस से आगे निकल गए। यह नतीजा एक तरफ अकाली दल के सीमित आधार को दिखाता है, तो दूसरी तरफ उसके पुराने दबदबे के कमजोर होने की भी याद दिलाता है।
Sohan Singh Thandal’s political journey in Chabbewal has been anything but steady. As the Shiromani Akali Dal candidate in 2022, he failed to win the seat. He later switched to the BJP, was named its candidate for the 2024 Chabbewal by-election, and managed only 8,692 votes (10.18%), finishing a distant third. Now, months later, Thandal has returned to the Akali Dal once again. Now, as Punjab moves toward 2027, will voters see Thandal as a seasoned leader who corrected course or as a symbol of political hopping guided more by opportunity than conviction ?
