Of four parties and Amritpal in Punjab's Khadoor Sahib

CUT-THROAT BATTLE - INC Bibi Jagir Kaur, SAD Paramjit Kaur Khalra, A poster on a gurudwara in Jhallur Khera says the village "wholeheartedly supports Amritpal in the elections" PEP₹ 2024 PHOTO: SARTHAK CHOUDHURY Kulbir Singh Zira, INC Manjinder CONTENDERS Laljit Singh Bhullar, AAP 30.45 Singh Virsa Singh Valtoha, SAD 43.86 Sidhu, 20.4 AAP ₹PEP is Punjab Ekta Party which merged with the Congress in (in %) 1.3 2021; Source: ECI Amritpal Singh, Independent SARTHAK CHOUDHURY Jallupur Khera/Tarn Taran, 20 May Nearly an hour's drive from Amritsar, Jhallur Khera is a one-of-its-kind village.

While the houses in the village are beaming with state-of-the-art infrastructure, with some even having solar panels, the stone-and-sand roads are difficult to navigate. An octogenarian villager says the road is in this condition as it's yet to be completed and a roller needs to work on it. With most of the people echoing the old man's sentiment, a young man, 21-22, says: "It's like this so that other parties can't enter the village." Just at the entrance of Jhallur Khera village, there's a large poster on a gurudwara that's visible from afar. The poster says:

"This village wholeheartedly supports Amritpal in the elections. Other parties should refrain from seeking votes here." Punjab is seeing one of the tightest electoral battles ever. For the first time in decades, four major parties - the Aam Aadmi Party, Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, and Shiromani Akali Dal - have thrown their hat into the ring, and that too without any alliance.

The Bahujan Samaj Party is also in contention. With psephologists yet to determine how fruitful this move by parties may be, one of the 13 seats in the state has an interesting contest.

Called the Tarn Taran Lok Sabha constituency till 2009, the Khadoor Sahib seat's fifth candidate is Amritpal Singh.