Just about a year before the high-octane Assembly elections in Punjab, both the alliance partners — Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are holding hectic meetings to prepare for the polls, scheduled to be held in early 2017.
The first day of October saw SAD president and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal holding sessions with the party district heads to assess the ground situation, while the senior leadership of the saffron party also held its separate meeting with the district elections in-charges to re-elect its organisational structure. The meetings come at a time when the BJP is not averse to the idea of going solo in Punjab and has time and again given indications in this direction. However, the SAD has all along been refuting any plans of parting ways with the decade-old ally. Just about days before, BJP youth wing chief and MP Anurag Thakur, at a rally in Khatkar Kalan, had stated that the alliance between SAD and the BJP would be reviewed after Bihar polls.
The next day, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal maintained that Thakur’s statement carried no weight and the alliance would continue with the final decision to be taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Thursday’s meetings assume significance as the two parties, at their own levels, are preparing for the ensuing Assembly polls in the State. SAD chief Sukhbir Badal held a meeting with the party’s district presidents to gauge the mood across the State.
It has been learnt that SAD president discussed about the ground situation in the State, and the voters’ mood in respect to the Akali Dal. Suggestions have also been sought from the party’s district unit heads.
Sources informed The Pioneer that the Akali Dal was taking the anti-party mood in the State owing to the farming crisis, drug issue, law and order, and the recent incidents involving orbit buses, owned by the Badal family.
“The meeting was a routine thing and has nothing specific in it…The issues pertaining to all districts was discussed and the district heads have been asked to come up with suggestions to further strengthen the party. Rest, the party is focussing on development, both in urban and rural segments, across the State,” said a senior SAD leader.
On the other hand, BJP also held its meeting of district-wise election in-charges for the party’s upcoming organisational elections in the State. Besides the party’s State unit election in-charge Rajinder Bhandari, its State affairs in-charge Prabhat Jha and State party president Kamal Sharma presided over the meeting.
“Our main focus is to be the 2017 polls in Punjab and that was why it is imperative to set up the party’s organisational structure well before that…Today’s meeting’s main agenda was organisational polls, and instructions were issued to complete the process will within time ,” said the BJP leader.
As per the schedule, the State was to elect its new party chief by November 20. The schedule, declared by the National Election officer and Rajya Sabha MP Avinash Rai Khanna, directed the State election officers to ensure election at the booth level by September 20, at mandal units by October 10, at district units by October 20, and that of the state presidents by November 20. The current incumbent, Kamal Sharma, is facing opposition from both outside and inside the party after the alleged involvement of his close aides in the drug-related matters. Adding more to his troubles, his detractors within the party have started making arduous efforts to oust him from the top post. Alike the Congress, the BJP too is also divided in two power centres, one represented by the state BJP chief Kamal Sharma, Cabinet Minister Anil Joshi and former Minister Tikshan Sud, and another by party’s national vice-president Avinash Rai Khanna, Union Minister Vijay Sampla, and former Minister Manoranjan Kalia.