3 weeks ago

Jailed Amritpal Singh Looms Over Punjab's Upcoming Assembly Elections

Jailed Amritpal Singh Looms Over Punjab's Upcoming Assembly Elections
The shadow of jailed Amritpal Singh: Punjab has seen this movie before · indianexpress.com

There is a man in Punjab named Amritpal Singh who many people talk about, even though he is in prison far away in another state called Assam.

He is a member of parliament and won a big election while sitting in jail.

His group, called Waris Punjab De, wants him to be freed.

Last week, his supporters broke through barriers in a city called Chandigarh and asked the Chief Minister to release him and other Sikh prisoners.

Many young people in Punjab like Amritpal because he talks about problems like drugs and unemployment.

Older people remember troubled times in Punjab's past and are afraid that similar problems could come back.

His group tried to win a local election in Tarn Taran but came in third, which shows it is not very strong yet.

The government says Amritpal is dangerous and should stay in jail to keep peace.

So Punjab is watching to see what happens in the next big election.

This is a story about how a leader in prison can still affect politics.

Key facts

Main figure
Amritpal Singh, Khadoor Sahib MP
Imprisonment
In Dibrugarh Central Jail, Assam, since April 2023
Party
Waris Punjab De (Shiromani Akali Dal), formed January 2025
2024 Lok Sabha result
Won Khadoor Sahib by almost two lakh votes as an Independent from jail
Tarn Taran bypoll (Nov 2025)
Waris Punjab De candidate third with 19,620 votes; AAP retained the seat
Notable joining
Manpreet Singh Ayali, SAD (Badal) MLA, joined in May 2025
Security grounds
Ajnala Police Station siege (Feb 2023), alleged Anandpur Khalsa Fauj, links with extremists
Punjab Chief Minister
Bhagwant Mann (Aam Aadmi Party)

Quotes

Amritpal Singh

Jailed MP and founder of Waris Punjab De

“Sikhs should learn from the Palestine struggle”
indianexpress.com

Sources

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