The year 2017 witnessed the winds of change sweeping the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) combine — that ruled the State for 10 long years — off its feet. Even as the Congress party scored a hat-trick in the electoral field, it had its own share of controversies.
As the February polls sent the ruling SAD into a virtual oblivion, the debutant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — which was considered to be a force to reckon with in its first State-level ballot battle— disappointed not only its supporters but also the political observers who were expecting it to throw a major surprise by forming the next Government in Punjab.
YEAR OF CHANGE
As the year started with political hustle-bustle with the poll panel announcing state elections in the first week only, it witnessed a change of guard after a decade. The Congress party stunned its rival by finishing at comfortable figure of 77 seats in 117-member House.
Patiala Royal Capt Amarinder Singh once again hold the state reigns promising an improved, drug-free, debt-free, corruption-free Punjab.
In fact, the 2017 Punjab Polls witnessed the fall of the titans in their bastion as the 77 percent of 1.98 crore electorates “voted for change” by showing the door to no less than 40 sitting MlAs, including 10 cabinet ministers.
The list of “surprising” losers includes not just the candidates of SAD-BJP combine, but also that of the Congress including former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, senior Congress leader Sunil Jakhar, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s son-in-law Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, SAD’s Daljeet Singh Cheema, Tota Singh, Sikander Singh Maluka, BJP’s Anil Joshi and Manoranjan Kalia, among others.Besides, the major political parties also witnessed a change at the helm.
While the Congress saw its defeated MlA Sunil Jakhar taking over the party reins in the State, AAP, in an attempt to set its house in order, appointed its most popular leader in the state, Bhagwant Mann, as state unit president despite remaining on one controversy after another.
CONTROVERSY TROUBlE
Within days of coming to power, the Congress government’s smooth ride hit the hurdle with the alleged involvement of its Power Minister Rana Gurjit Singh into sand mining auctions.
The issue of ‘conflict of interest’ was also raised after the cricketer-turned-lawmaker Navjot Singh Sidhu declared that he would continue with his television stint. The same question was also raised in case of Rana Gurjit who owns a power company, Rana Sugar limited, which sells power to Punjab State Power Corporation limited (PSPCl)—which comes under his Ministry.
That was not all! Just as the Congress Government completed its first month, the opposition started seeking answers to Capt Amarinder’s claims of eliminating scourge of drugs within a month, waiving off complete farm loan, providing jobs and smart-phones, among other lofty pre-poll promises he made with the people.
The opposition attacked the Congress government for its failure to waive of farmers’ loan despite announcing as the latter cited the ground of empty coffers it inherited from its predecessor, SAD-BJP combine.
At the same time, Chief Minister was assailed for employing an army of advisors with smart remuneration and other benefits.
If that is not enough, it was facing all the allegations which the congress used to make against the ruling combine when it was in opposition, including running sand mafia, liquor mafia, poor law and order, drug mafia, transport mafia, etc.
WINNING HAT-TRICK
Assembly polls, Gurdaspur lok Sabha bye-election, and civic body polls — Congress sailed through effortlessly making a hat-trick of wins by keeping up the momentum with its reverberating victory of two-third majority seats in the state elections.
Jakhar, who had lost from Ferozepur in 2014 lok Sabha polls and from his bastion Abohar in February-March assembly polls and was rewarded with party’s apex post in the state for his dedication and hard-work, did not disappoint his political bosses by winning Gurdaspur seat, that fall vacant following the death of sitting BJP MP and yesteryears’ Bollywood superstar Vinod Khanna.
Even though Congress’ victory in three municipal corporations of Amritsar, Patiala and Jalandhar besides 29 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in December came amidst allegations of poll rigging, booth capturing, voter intimidation, misusing official machinery besides partial attitude of the State poll panel, the party passed its first litmus at the grass root level after coming to power in March.
In between, the party’s student wing, National Student Union of India, had also won Panjab University’s student council elections in September.
SAD-BJP ON VERGE OF OBlIVION
After finishing at the poor third by managing only 20 seats, 17 of the Akali Dal and three by the saffron party, the SAD-BJP combine was pushed on the verge of oblivion.
After ruling the state for 10 years, the combine could not secure the place of the main opposition party in the Vidhan Sabha. Its core vote-bank witnessed a shift, mainly towards the Congress.
However, just before the civic body polls, the SAD made conscious efforts to regain its lost ground with the party chief Sukhbir badal leading from the front, as the Akali patriarch parkash singh badal choose to stay away.
Sukhbir restructured the party, from top to the grass root level. He himself led the party dharna against police excesses by the ruling party.
AAP cut A SORRY FIGURE
Confident of forming the government, AAP could manage just 20 seats besides two by its ally — the lok Insaaf Party (lIP). The only solace for the party was being the principal opposition party by pushing the erstwhile ruling combine to poor third.
Following the defeat, the party saw internal bickering. The local leaders, led by Sukhpal Khaira, blame its central leaders for the defeat, and soon they were withdrawn from the state giving powers to the state leaders.
The system of appointing convener was changed, with the central high command appointing Bhagwant Mann as its president, by removing Gurpreet Ghuggi who later quit the party — a decision that irked Khaira.
Besides, another change was witnessed in the state party unit after the leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha HS Phoolka decided to stay away from state politics and concentrating only on his constituency — Dakha. He was replaced by Sukhpal Khaira.
Putting a question mark on AAP’s campaign against drugs, Khaira was summoned by a local court for his alleged involvement in a drug case—giving an opportunity to his adversaries to target him.
STUBBlE BURNING PUT NORTH INDIA, PAK ON FIRE
The smouldering issue of pollution due to stubble burning has brought not only the neighbouring states of Delhi, Haryana and Punjab, but also the neighbouring countries of India and Pakistan on a common platform.
As the issue refused to settle down despite efforts by the respeictive governments and involvement of the Judiciary, the Pak’s Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif was compelled to invite his Indian counterpart Capt Amarinder Singh to make a “collective effort”.
Sharif had wrote to Capt Amarinder expressing concern over the mounting pollution in this part of the region while also urging him for entering into a “regional cooperation arrangement”.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also met his Haryana counterpart Manohal lal Khattar on the issue, besides urging Capt Amarinder to together resolve the issue of pollution and smog, primarily caused by vehicular and industrial emissions, other than the stubble burning.