With the Election Commission of India announcing dates for the assembly polls, Punjab with 117 seats, is likely to see a multi cornered contest this election on February 14, a marked shift from a traditional duel between the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal.
It is going to be a keenly-watched contest with the Congress, the AAP, the SAD-BSP alliance, and the BJP-PLC-SAD (Sanyukt) battling to form the government in the state, with a probable entry of farmers' front in the form of Sanyukt Samaj Morcha. Nineteen farmer bodies, which participated in a protest against the Centre's three farm laws, have also declared to test electoral waters. Whether they contest all assembly seats, it is yet to be seen.
Punjab's political landscape witnessed major changes in the last more than one year with the Shiromani Akali Dal breaking its ties with the BJP over the farm laws issue and stitching a new alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party. After facing heat over the farm laws, the SAD in September 2020 quit the National Democratic Alliance and Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the union cabinet.
The SAD in June 2021 formed an alliance with the Mayawati-led BSP under which, the Akalis will fight on 97 seats and BSP on 20 seats. After the Akali Dal parted ways, the BJP, which used to contest on 23 seats, forged an alliance with former chief minister Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt). Amarinder Singh was made to resign as the Chief Minister by the Congress last year over his bitter power tussle with Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. Later he decided to form his own party.
The Aam Aadmi Party, which is the main opposition party in Punjab, has announced to go alone.
The SAD and the AAP have announced their candidates for the polls. The former has named candidates for over 90 assembly seats while the latter has declared names of 104 contestants. The Congress is yet to declare any candidate, though deliberations within the party's screening committee are underway.
A decision regarding the seat-sharing arrangement was yet to be made by the BJP-PLC-SAD (Sanyukt).
All the major political parties are trying to woo voters with freebies and other promises.
While the AAP is hard-selling Arvind Kejriwal's Delhi model of governance, it has also made several promises such as 300 units of free power and Rs 1,000 per month to every woman of Punjab.
With its 13-point charter, the Akali Dal has made promises including free power up to 400 units per month for all households, Rs 2,000 per month to women heads of “blue card” holder families (indicating below poverty line), and a Rs 10 per litre reduction in price of diesel for agriculture consumers.
Congress leader Sidhu has promised Rs 2,000 per month for women homemakers, as well as eight free cooking gas cylinders to them every year. The party has also promised two-wheelers to girls taking admission in colleges and also some cash amount.
Unemployment, drug menace, delivery of justice in the sacrilege incidents, exodus of youth abroad, ballooning debt, and corruption are the major issues this election.
In 2017 Punjab assembly polls, the Congress had ended the SAD-BJP combine's ten-year regime by bagging 77 seats out of the total 117-assembly segments in the state. The AAP had managed to get 20 seats, the SAD-BJP won 18 seats, and two seats went into the kitty of Lok Insaaf Party (LIP).
The Congress had got 38.5 per cent voting share, Shiromani Akali Dal 25.2 per cent, AAP 23.7 per cent, BJP 5.4 per cent, and BSP 1.5 per cent. After by-elections at some seats, the Congress at present has 80 seats, AAP 17, SAD 14, BJP 2, LIP 2, while Bholath and Jaito seats remain vacant.
HAILS PUNJAB POLLS ON SCHEDULE
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal hailed the announcement of Vidhan Sabha polls in Punjab on February 14 and said that the people of the state will immediately heave a big sigh of relief. "This signals the end of anarchy, chaos, confusion and misgovernance in Punjab. In a statement here, the SAD President said, "the people of the state are ready and eagerly looking forward to a strong, stable and development oriented SAD-BSP govt , committed to peace and communal harmony. The present rulers had reduced governance to a circus joke. People will heave a sigh of relief that it is over and the state will go back to the serious and sober business of governance by the SAD BSP alliance”.
Badal said the announcement of the election schedule also signaled the end of five wasted years in Punjab. “Punjab is now ready for a return to a government that cares for the people with peace, communal harmony and people's welfare as its top priorities. SAD thanks EC for polls on schedule: We are the happiest .We are ready for action and are eagerly waiting for the bugle to be blown .We are far ahead of others in preparations and ground reality. There is joy and excitement in SAD camp as the cadre is raring to go. They have already sprung into action”, Badal added.
PEOPLE OF PUNJAB HAVE DECIDED TO FORM AAP GOVT, CLAIMS BHAGWANT MANN
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab President and MP Bhagwant Mann while welcoming Election Commission of India for announcement of Assembly election dates in five states including Punjab, claimed that the party was amply prepared for the elections.
Mann appealed to the people of Punjab to pen down the destiny with their own hands on February 14 to put Punjab on the track of prosperity, peace and harmony again. Mann said voters of the state should cast their votes to get rid of those who have been looting Punjab for their vested interests, so as to put Punjab, which is mired in debt, drugs, mafia and corruption, back on the track of prosperity and harmony again. He claimed that the people of Punjab have made up their mind to form the government of AAP which is evident from the fact that the people are reaching out in large numbers with their own resources and are generously supporting Kejriwal's guarantees in the jab sabhas being held by the party candidates.