Acute differences over varying political ideology and power sharing, notwithstanding, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has come out in the open to help its alliance partner — Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) — emerge victorious in the 2014 parliamentary elections.
The saffron party is in the process of appointing observers in the parliamentary constituencies of Punjab — not just for three parliamentary seats it contests, but also for the remaining 10 seats on which SAD is fielding its candidates. “We have already appointed observers for three parliamentary constituencies we contest. Soon, the observers for the rest 10 seats, on which SAD contests lok Sabha elections, will be appointed,” Punjab BJP president Kamal Sharma told The Pioneer.
The decision to give all out support to SAD comes at a time when the differences between the two parties are at its peak. The age-old allies have hardly been seeing eye-to-eye on so many issues. The recent among them were “exorbitant” fees to regularize colonies, implementation of e-Trip system, seat sharing in recently-held Panchayati Raj elections, imposing taxes in urban areas — BJP’s vote bank, among others.
To iron out these differences, the two parties have been making attempts to improve their relations while monitoring and gearing up the party cadre for all-important lok Sabha polls. In the same direction, the SAD-led State Government has apparently agreed to provide respite to the traders and colonizers by slackening the norms under e-trip system, and policy for regularisation of unauthorized colonies buckling under BJP’s pressure. Moreover, to fill in the gaps that have widened over the years, the coalition partners are also putting their heads together in the region-wise meetings between the two.
Moderated by Chief Minister and SAD patron-in-chief Parkash Singh Badal, the regular zone-wise meetings — one zone each for Doaba, and Majha region; and two for Malwa region — is taking place every week including state presidents of both parties, Members of Parliament (MPs), Members of legislative Assembly (MlAs), and the district presidents of the respective regions to improve understanding between the two parties. Moreover, the alliance partners are also mulling to revive its co-ordination committee at the State level and also constitute district level co-ordination committees.
As of now, both SAD and BJP are in process of strengthening their parties, not only mutually but also individually, ahead key lok Sabha elections. “We have already set up our election campaign committee for lok Sabha elections under stalwart Balram Ji Dass Tandon. Election observers or constituencies’ in-charges have been appointed. We are focusing on strengthening the party from top to the bottom level,” said Sharma. In this direction, he said, the party has almost done with the appointment of the heads of its various cells or morchas (wings), besides its office bearers. “By August, this process would be completed. August onwards, our main focus would specifically be on the booth level,” he added.
The party’s youth wing — Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha — is also actively wooing the youngsters to join the saffron brigade in its all India membership drive. In the same way, SAD’s youth wing — Youth Akali Dal — is also in the process of adding more members to the party wing, and is, in fact, strengthening its student wing — Student Organization of India (SOI).
What is more! In its apparent attempt to purge the image of being an “urban party”, the BJP is making inroads into state’s rural voters as witnessed in the recently held Panchayati Raj institutions elections. On the other hand, Akali Dal is also foraying into BJP’s vote bank — the urban areas — as manifested in the Municipal corporation polls. However, the two parties abnegate the same claiming that people vote for the alliance, and not the individual party.
“Those supporting SAD would also vote for BJP if its candidate is representing the seat, and vice-versa. Doing well in rural or urban areas does not mean that it is entering each others territory,” said SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema.