Majitha: In a strategic move aimed at breaking the Shiromani Akali Dal’s long-standing hold over Majitha, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday announced Talbir Singh Gill as the Aam Aadmi Party’s candidate from the constituency for the 2027 Assembly elections.
The announcement was made during Mann’s visit to Majitha to inaugurate a road infrastructure project involving the reconstruction of 23 link roads at a cost of ₹11.32 crore. Gill stood alongside the Chief Minister during the event, signalling his formal projection as the party’s challenger in the politically sensitive seat.
Majitha has traditionally been a stronghold of senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia and his family. Majithia, who has represented the constituency three times, is currently lodged in Nabha jail in connection with a disproportionate assets case. His wife, Ganieve Kaur Majithia, won the seat in the 2022 Assembly elections.
Gill’s candidature is seen as a calculated political move, given his past association with the Majithia family. Once considered a close confidant of Bikram Majithia, Gill later fell out with the Akali leadership. He contested the 2022 Assembly elections from Amritsar South on an SAD ticket but was unsuccessful. Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Gill joined the AAP in May last year and was soon appointed as the party’s Majitha halqa in-charge.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Mann launched a sharp attack on the Akali Dal, alleging that its leadership had fostered an atmosphere of fear during its time in power. He claimed that individuals with political influence across different regimes had silenced dissent, but asserted that such intimidation no longer prevailed in Punjab.
Drawing a historical parallel, Mann referred to Majitha’s past, stating that the region was once dominated by forces that had sided with British officials during the colonial era, including the time of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He cautioned voters against a return to what he described as regressive politics.
The Chief Minister also warned that restoring the Akali Dal to power would take Punjab back to a period marked by sacrilege incidents, police firing on protestors, and alleged injustices against ordinary citizens.
Taking aim at Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami, Mann accused him of aligning politically with SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal rather than upholding religious responsibilities. He said the alleged failures of the Akali leadership and the SGPC had forced the state government to form a special investigation team to probe the disappearance of 328 saroops of the Guru Granth Sahib.
With Gill now officially declared as the AAP’s candidate, Majitha is set to witness a high-profile and closely watched political contest in the run-up to the 2027 Assembly elections.
