Punjab Election 2017: Here are top constituencies that heated up the state's political potpourri

The long-drawn electoral battle in Punjab will come to a conclusion with counting set to begin at 8 am on Saturday. The 2017 poll battle was different from previous elections in many ways, right from the key poll issues that defined campaigning in the northwestern state or the four main parties whose fate will be declared on Saturday.

Punjab, which had mostly seen a contest between Shiromani Akali Dal-Bhartiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP) alliance and the Indian National Congress over the last few decades, added a third front in this election with the entrance of Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party.

There are a total of 1,145 candidates in the fray, with all the top-three contenders Congress, SAD-BJP alliance as well as AAP fielding 117 candidates. The agrarian state is likely to witness the biggest shake-up with Saturday ready to decide the fate of several high-profile candidates from all the parties including incumbent Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal of SAD, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal from Jalalabad, Parkash Singh Bhatti from Balluna and Hardeep Singh ‘Dimpy’ Dhillon from Giddarbaha.

SAD is fighting on 94 of the 117 seats while 23 seats have been given to the alliance partner, the BJP. Some of the high-profile candidates include Dinesh Singh Babbu, Ashwani Sharma, Seema Kumari, KD Bhandari and Sukhjeet Kaur Sahi.

Captain Amarinder Singh is the chief ministerial candidate for Congress and will be contesting from Patiala as well as from SAD leader and incumbent Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s home turf Lambi. Among some of the high-profile candidates and new entrants, Congress will see former SAD leader Manpreet Singh Badal (estranged nephew of Parkash Singh Badal) contesting from Bathinda Urban Assembly, Vijay Inder Singla from Sangrur, incumbent Sunil Jakhar from Abohar, Sukhjinder Raj Singh Lalli Majithia from Majithia, Jagmohan Singh Kang, Amrik Singh Dhillon, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring from Gidderbaha, Karan Kaur Brar from Muktsar, Mohammad Sadique from Bhadaur SC, Ajaib Singh Bhatti from Malout SC, Inderbir Singh Bolaria from Amritsar South, Manju Bansal from Mansa and Sanjay Talwar from Ludhiana East. Cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu who joined Congress right before the election contested from Amritsar East.

As for AAP, which is largely been seen as the outsider party in the current election has fielded a mix of activists, doctors and lawyers led by Bhagwant Mann, who challenged SAD’s Sukhbir Singh Badal and Congress’ Ravneet Singh Bittu. Other prominent faces in APP includes Supreme Court lawyer HS Phoolka from Dakha constituency in Ludhiana, Himmat Singh Shergill from SAS Nagar (Mohali) constituency, Sarabjit Kaur, wife of former finance minister in the Akali government Captain Kanwaljit Singh from Dera Bassi.

Another prominent candidate in the fray is Sucha Singh Chhotepur from Gurdaspur who is contesting against two-time sitting SAD MLA Gurbachan SIngh Babbehali, Congress’ Barindollt Singh Pahra and AAP’s Amarjeet Singh Chahal.

Even though the exit polls on Thursday predicted a close battle between Congress and AAP, parties like the Communist Party of India — Marxist (CPM), Communist Party of India — Marxist Liberation (CPI-ML), Aapna Punjab Party (APP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Punjab Front, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Punjab United (PU), Akali Dal (AD), Apna Punjab (AP), Jai Jawan Jai Kisan Party (JJJKP), Swabhiman Party (SP) and Janta Dal United (JDU) can also play a crucial role if the state sees hung Assembly. This is even though the polls predicted very few seats for these parties.

Other political outfits in the fray include BSP, former AAP leader Sucha Singh Chhotepur-led Apna Punjab Party, the Left comprising CPI and CPI-M, and SAD-Amritsar.

To see how the counting day progressed on Saturday, click here to read our election blog.