In the forthcoming 18th Lok Sabha, a total of 526 candidates will represent the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which secured 292 seats in the recently-concluded general elections, and the Congress-led INDIA bloc, which obtained 234 seats. The remaining 17 Members of Parliament (MPs) are not affiliated with either bloc, with seven of them contesting and winning as independents.
The seven independent winners are Amritpal Singh, Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, Patel Umeshbhai Babubhai, Mohamad Haneefa, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, Vishal Patil, and Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias Rashid Engineer. Notably, two of them, Amritpal Singh and Rashid Engineer, are currently incarcerated.
Here is the list of from where each of these independent candidate contested:
- Amritpal Singh: Khadoor Sahib (Punjab)
- Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa: Faridkot (Punjab)
- Patel Umeshbhai Babubhai: Daman and Diu (Daman and Diu Union Territory)
- Mohamad Haneefa: Ladakh (Ladakh Union Territory)
- Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav: Purnia (Bihar)
- Vishal Patil: Sangli (Maharashtra)
- Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias Rashid Engineer: Baramulla (Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory)
Here’s a brief profile of each independent winner:
- Amritpal Singh: Leader of pro-Khalistan outfit Waris Punjab De, currently detained in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act (NSA).
- Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa: Son of Beant Singh, one of the bodyguards involved in the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, with a family legacy in politics.
- Patel Umeshbhai Babubhai: Social worker who defeated sitting BJP MP Lalubhau Babubhai Patel in Daman and Diu.
- Mohamad Haneefa: Former district president of the National Conference, securing Ladakh seat, historically won by independents.
- Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav: Merged his Jan Aadhikar Party (JAP) with the Congress, contested independently after the party allotted Purnia seat to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
- Vishal Patil: Grandson of former Maharashtra chief minister Vasantrao Patil, rebelled against Congress after Shiv Sena (UBT) fielded its candidate.
- Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias Rashid Engineer: Currently detained in Delhi’s Tihar Jail on terror-funding charges, arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2019.
