The echo of Bharatiya Janata Party’s defeat and victory of Congress-supported ‘grand alliance’ in Bihar can be heard loud and clear some 1400 kilometres away in Punjab.
The victory sent a wave of cheer in the Congress circles which believed that the results would have a “decisive impact” on Punjab. On the other hand, BJP’s coalition partner, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) rubbished the opposition’s claims by insisting that the results would not cast a shadow on their prospects in the forthcoming state assembly polls, scheduled to be held in 2017.
In Punjab, the saffron party is having an uneasy relationship with the SAD in the recent period, with the reports of BJP mulling to go solo for the 2017 elections. However, with the BJP facing a defeat in Bihar, it is to be seen what turn the SAD-BJP alliance would now take.
The SAD-BJP alliance hit a rough patch following a series of events reportedly led to friction between the two allies on number of issues. The situation reached a flash point when the Akali Dal decided to join hands with the Indian National lok Dal (INlD) in Haryana assembly polls citing “family ties”, and campaigning against the BJP.
BJP started flexing its muscle in Punjab with the party solely achieving “clear majority” in the neighbouring state, and forming its government for the first time ever in Haryana.
However, the saffron brigade is set to encounter stiff anti-incumbency as it is a part of the SAD-led ruling coalition, besides heading the government at the Centre.
Political analysts believed that a certain amount of introspection is required by both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP because the party is staring at crucial assembly elections in the time to come.
In the next two years, elections are due for the states including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and also Punjab, where either the party has no significant presence or will face resistance from strong regional forces.
“The result will have a decisive impact on Punjab and will set the tone for defeat of divisive forces in the state in the assembly elections which are not very far,” said Congress Deputy leader in lok Sabha and former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh.
His party colleague, ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, maintained that the victory of ‘maha alliance’ in Bihar and the way BJP has been routed out will “have clear repercussions on the coming Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections”.
lambasting the SAD-BJP government in Punjab, Bittu said that Bihar Vidhan Sabha results have shown clear door to the so called “Modi Charisma” and now this will replicate in Punjab also.
“Although in Bihar, they managed to get double figure. But, in Punjab, this alliance of SAD- BJP will not even get a single seat,” he claimed while pointing that Modi government announced special package for Bihar right before the elections but the people of this country have understood the communal design of the BJP.
Bittu, congratulating Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi for Bihar’s victory, said that Rahul was replicating the same vision in Punjab too. “His recent visits to the Malwa belt prove that the Congress high command is seriously thinking about the political prospects of the party in Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections also,” he said.
Bittu said: “There has been big revolt of the people from every caste against the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP Government which is at the helm of affairs for the last nine years. The Congress party, under the dynamic vision of Rahul Gandhi, will form the next government in Punjab.”
SAD general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, on the other hand, maintained that the Bihar results will have “no impact” on party’s alliance with the BJP in Punjab.
“The results will have no impact on SAD-BJP alliance…SAD-BJP alliance is very old and time-tested, and despite several defeats, it is still continuing…we will contest the 2017 polls together,” he said.