Traditional political parties, including the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine, in Punjab are putting their best foot forward to win the war of ballot, while the nascent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is still struggling hard to find a foothold at the grass root level.
Boosted by the recent state-wide dharnas against Congress’ excesses, the SAD, and its ally the BJP, is targeting the ruling Congress for its failure to fulfil the tall promises it made with the masses. At the same time, the combine is wooing voters by displaying its developmental works during the previous decade-long rule.
The Congress cadre is buoyant by the subsequent wins in the assembly polls and Gurdaspur byelection. The ruling party is optimistic of its win on the basis of its government’s nine-month performance, and BJP-led Central Government’s “anti-people” policies.
The greenhorn in the local elections, AAP could not field its candidates in all the wards, including the one falling in the home constituency of its leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Sukhpal Khaira — Bholath.
The party, which managed to push the SAD-BJP combine to the third spot by finishing at distant second place in the state assembly polls early this year to be the main opposition in the state, is managing hard to keep its flock together as many of Its leaders have joined other parties in the run up to polls.
Three municipal corporations of Amritsar, Patiala, and Jalandhar, and 32 municipal councils and nagar panchayats are all set for polls on December 17.
Already, the Congress has won all the 13 seats of Mallanwala Khas nagar panchayat “unopposed”. Akali Dal, on the other hand, is alleging that the Congress workers did not allow SAD candidates to fill their forms.
Due to the controversy over the filing of nomination papers on the first day due to non-issuance of no-objection certificates to SAD candidates, there was a firing incident and cross cases were registered by SAD and Congress, followed by dharna which was later on lifted with the intervention of DIG and DC.
Ruling the state for a decade, the SAD-BJP combine is finding it tough to be out of power, in fact not being the main opposition party. learning to live with the “reality”, the combine is making apparent attempts to regain its lost ground in the civic body polls.
Taking advantage of the Congress government’s “failure” to implement even its single pre-poll promise, the SAD-BJP is banking on the development works it initiated during its previous regime.
During its campaigning, the combine is drawing parallel between its 10-year rule and Congress’ nine-month performance. “We have done a lot of works during our previous regime in every sector. A lot has been done for the people both in urban and rural areas,” former SAD minister Daljeet Singh Cheema told The Pioneer.
He, at the same time, blamed the Congress government for “misusing the government machinery”.
“Congress has come to power by making false promises with the people...Seeing the Congress not doing anything to fulfil its promises, the people will teach Congress a lesson for cheating with them,” said senior BJP leader Kamal Sharma.
With moderately new organisational structure, AAP could not find enough faces to represent the party in all wards going for polls on Sunday. For that, the party is pointing finger at the ruling Congress which managed to get cancelled the nomination papers of its candidates at several places.
“The ruling party is throwing to the winds all rules and regulations and democratic values during these polls...many of our candidates were threatened to withdraw their nominations. And those who did not withdrew, their papers were cancelled by pinpointing soem mistake or the other,” said AAP’s Punjab unit co-president and Sunam MlA Aman Arora.
AAP has not fielded its candidates in all the 85 wards. Arora added that despite all these, the party workers and leaders are giving a tough time to other parties.
Congress is confident notwithstanding the tough challenge by the SAD-BJP alliance in all the three corporations and AAP’s failure to turn the contest into a triangular battle.
One factor that is troubling the Congress is that of dissidents. As the party fielded many of candidates who have joined the “hand” only recently, many of the traditional Congress leaders were deprived of the party ticket and are now contesting the polls as independents.
Another issue that is upsetting the local leaders was Congress government’s “non-performance”.
“Things, on the face of it, have not changed for the people. The issues, problems, they were facing in SAD-BJP rule, are still there which is a major cause of concern. But, then the government need time to change things. And if you got empty coffers, you also have to chalk out ways to generate revenue and improve things at the same time,” said a senior Congress leader, requesting anonymity.
Congress returned to power on the promise of complete loan waiver, which is yet to be implemented.