Punjab Goes to Polls Next Year, but Parties Seek Early Advantage

Hoping for an early advantage, Captain Amarinder Singh has already launched his poll campaign in Punjab.

New Punjab Congress President Captain Amarinder Singh with other party leaders at a rally to mark his coronation as the PPCC Chief, in Bathinda on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI/ Altered by The Quint)

Assembly elections in Punjab are still 13 months away, but the political fervour on Tuesday (15 December) appeared as if it was the last day of campaigning. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP alliance, and the Congress organised massive rallies in each other’s turfs, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ( a new entrant), organised dharnas across various districts. Sikh radicals also held their own meeting on the same day to mark their presence.

The show of strength by the SAD-BJP and the Congress was, as per expectations, high on political hyperbole and rhetoric, with each side claiming to attract a much bigger crowd than the other. They left no doubt that the year-long campaign for the assembly polls would be a no-holds-barred contest, without any restrain on language or means. Punjab may well witness its ‘most bitter’ run-up to the elections.

Punjab Congress President Captain Amarinder Singh is handed over the party flag by former PPCC Chief Partap Singh Bajwa (R) and others during a rally in Bathinda on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI)

Capt Amarinder Singh, who won the battle to regain leadership of the state Congress after a sustained struggle lasting nearly three years, threw the first challenge to the Akalis by declaring that he would take over the Badals’ Bathinda bastion.

Swords are Out Before ’17 Polls

• Rallies by the SAD-BJP alliance, and Congress have been high on political hyperbole and rhetoric.
  
• Capt Amarinder Singh sets the tone for the 2017 electoral battle, with promises of curbing drug menace, and generating employment.
  
• Use of religious symbolism by the newly appointed Congress Chief has made the Akalis jittery.
  
• AAP chooses to sit in a huddle, as it deals with infighting and other controversies.
  
• Amarinder wants to take on the SAD early, but Sukhbir Badal has also proven himself to be an able organiser.
  

Akalis to Take the Battle to Amarinder’s Hometown

Back from a series of successful ‘sadbhavna’ rallies, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, also the Deputy Chief Minister, countered by announcing that his party would hold another rally in Patiala, Amarinder’s hometown, the day the Congress leader takes over.

(Photo: iStock/ Altered by The Quint)

Even though elections are due a little over a year from now, Amarinder virtually declared his party’s manifesto. Understandably, topping his agenda was curbing the drug menace in the state. He claimed he would contain the problem in four weeks, instead of four months which Sukhbir had promised in one of his earlier speeches. He also promised doubling old-age pension and generating jobs for the unemployed youth.

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal during the Sadbhawna Rally in Tarn Taran on December 14, 2015. (Photo: IANS)

Amarinder’s rather dramatic gesture – washing his hands on stage and holding a copy of the holy ‘gutka’ to take the pledge – while making these promises, took even the ‘panthic’ Akalis by surprise. This was a clear sign that he would not shy away from using religious symbolism and motifs to woo ‘panthic’ votes.

AAP Still Badly Fractured

Although AAP, the third contender in the fray, organised district level meetings, the party was somehow not able to make much impact, at least visually. The party, which won four MP seats from Punjab, has declared that it views the state as its next hunting ground after Delhi.

However, the vertical split among AAP’s MPs and controversies dogging its Lok Sabha MP Bhagwant Mann has dented the party’s image. On Tuesday, the party planned to stage dharnas at various district headquarters to demand resignation of the state Agriculture Minister Tota Singh for his alleged involvement in the fake pesticide scam which hit cotton farmers badly. AAP leaders claim that they are working silently in the rural areas and would not prefer to go for any show of strength at this juncture.

Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh during a rally in Moga district of Punjab on September 9, 2015. (Photo: IANS)

Amarinder’s Reconciliatory Moves

Amarinder’s appointment as the Punjab Congress chief has galvanised the political scene in the state. He has promised not to repeat ‘past mistakes’ which had cost the party dearly in the previous elections. Besides, he said that he would walk the extra mile to take all sections of the party along, which was affirmed by his invitation to outgoing state Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa, to Tuesday’s rally.

Amarinder’s intent is clear: he wants to take on the SAD early, and hence would press the high command to declare the names of the party’s candidates at least six month before the polls. But he has to stretch his resources, as Sukhbir Badal has repeatedly proved himself to be an able organiser and a goal-oriented politician.

Yet, Sukhbir and his party would have to deal with strong anti-incumbency built up over the last nine years. The massive gatherings at the rallies cannot be an absolute reflection of the public mood, and there is no guarantee that the turn-ups will translate into votes.

(The writer is a Chandigarh-based senior journalist)