With Punjab Congress chief Pargat Singh, AAP state general secretary Deepak Bali and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal emerging as potential contenders from their respective parties, Jalandhar Cantonment is shaping up to be one of the closely watched segments in the run-up to the 2027 Assembly elections.Pargat, an Olympian and three-time MLA from Jalandhar Cantt, has a strong profile. His elevation as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief has added a new dimension to the contest, with the segment potentially becoming a prestige battle for both him and the Congress.The sudden replacement of AAP halqa in-charge Rajwinder Thiara with Bali has unsettled the party cadre. Thiara’s audio expressing dissent during a conference call and social media posts by her supporters have so far kept Bali on edge.The BJP is mulling fielding its Rajya Sabha MP Mittal from the seat. Unlike in the past four years since becoming an MP, Mittal can be seen inaugurating development works funded through MPLADS. Yesterday, he attended a Dasehra event, where he chose to wear a kurta-pyjama instead of his usual formals.His family’s business grew from a small sweet shop in Jalandhar Cantt, where the Mittal family has lived for decades.Mittal, however, denied having any interest in contesting from the Jalandhar Cantonment seat. “I still have 1.5 years of my Rajya Sabha term left. I had merely promised to upgrade four or five cremation grounds using MPLADS funds, following which everyone started making guesses,” he said.