Chandigarh: Independent candidate Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, son of one of the assassins of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, has won the Faridkot Lok Sabha seat in Punjab. According to the Election Commission of India, son of Beant Singh, one of the two assassins of Indira Gandhi, Sarabjit Singh Khalsa clinched a victory after leading the vote counting session. He defeated his nearest rival and AAP nominee Karamjit Singh Anmol.

Khalsa, earlier had said that the ‘sangat’ of Faridkot had approached him to fight the polls.

Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, who were the bodyguards of the then Prime Minister, killed Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984 at her residence.

He had unsuccessfully fought the 2004 Lok Sabha polls from Bathinda seat on SAD (Amritsar) ticket and had polled 1.13 lakh votes. He had also unsuccessfully contested the 2007 Punjab assembly polls from Bhadaur seat in Barnala.

He again tried his luck in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Fatehgarh Sahib seat on a BSP ticket but lost.

During campaigning, Khalsa, who is based in Mohali, raised the issue of the 2015 sacrilege incidents in which the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib was desecrated sparking protests and leading to the death of two anti-sacrilege protesters in Faridkot.

He also raised the issue of 'Bandi Singhs (Sikh prisoners who completed their jail terms)’.

Issues of drug menace, river water, farmers' demand for legal guarantee for minimum support price were other issues raised by him.