When Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal asked the people of Punjab not to take out their anger against the State Government on Narendra Modi-led BJP, he was apprehending the worse. But, perhaps, even he did not realise that SAD-BJP combine would get just about two seats more than its nearest rival Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which drew a blank in the rest of country.
Though the combine emerged victorious in the State with six seats and improved its previous tally by one seat, it failed to take advantage of the Modi wave on the remaining nine seats, four of which went to the AAP and three to the Congress party.The mood in the SAD-BJP camp was that of celebration after the announcement of results. But insiders agree that the results are sure to leave the senior party leaders thinking about a factor which they so far relegated to the trashcan of their thoughts — anti-incumbency.
The ruling alliance had believed that anti-incumbency is so strong against the Congress at the national-level that it, in no way, could match the SAD-BJP’s developmental issues in Punjab.To their surprise, while the anti-incumbency factor worked in favour of the BJP and its allies across the nation, it was found missing in Punjab — apparently due to presence of AAP.
AAP, getting 24.5 per cent share of votes in Punjab, has eaten into the vote share of both the SAD-BJP and the Congress neutralising the anti-incumbency factor for two. At the same time, both the major political parties failed to take advantage of the anti-incumbency factor working against them.With AAP bagging a fair portion of votes from both sides, it resulted in a sharp decline in the vote share of Congress from around 42 per cent in 2009 lok Sabha polls to 33 per cent, and that of SAD-BJP combine to 35 per cent this time from previous figure of approximately 40 per cent.
Congress, which finished on the top with eight seats in the state during 2009 polls, has dropped down to the third place with AAP emerging out to be second largest party with four seats —Sangrur, Faridkot, Patiala, and Fatehgarh Sahib — in its kitty. Congress, on the other hand, managed to got three seats — Amritsar, ludhiana, and Jalandhar.
As the SAD retained its previous tally of four by winning Bathinda, Anandpur Sahib, Ferozepur, and Khadoor Sahib; its ally has improved its tally from one by winning two seats — Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur — this time. However, the party faced a humiliating defeat at Amritsar, the seat it was wresting for three consecutive times.
Cong strategy fails Congress party’s strategy to lay its bet on the winning horses has failed to give desired results. Except former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, all senior leaders including Ambika Soni, Preneet Kaur, State Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa, leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Sunil Jakhar, were made to bite dust.
As the party has fielded its senior leaders who are a known face among the State’s electors, sitting MPs and MlAs who have won the people’s mandate earlier, and even shifting several leaders to beat the anti-incumbency factor, the party finished at the third spot with just three seats.
As the party’s State president lost to yesteryears Bollywood star and BJP leader Vinod Khanna by 1.36 lakh votes, three-time MP and Capt Amarinder’s wife Preneet Kaur lost to AAP’s Dr Dharamvira Gandhi by 20,942 votes. Former Union Minister Ambika Soni too faced defeat in the hands of SAD’s Prem Singh Chandumajra by 23,697 votes.
Another senior leader Jakhar, Abohar MlA, has lost to SAD’s Sher Singh Ghubaya by 31,420 votes. The other sitting MlAs fielded by the party — Sadhu Singh Dharamsot from Fatehgarh Sahib, and Joginder Singh Panjgrain from Faridkot — too failed to win people’s mandate this time.
Jalandhar MP Mohinder Singh Kaypee, who contested from Hoshiarpur, lost to BJP’s Vijay Sampla, a first-timer, by 13,582 votes. Another sitting MP from Sangrur Vijay Inder Singla finished third in his constituency by securing 1.81 lakh votes, against 5.33 lakh votes polled in favour of winning candidate — AAP’s Bhagwant Mann.
As the Congress shifted Ravneet Singh Bittu from Anandpur Sahib to ludhiana, after sitting MP Manish Tewari backed out, he managed to come out victorious in the fierce multi-cornered contest by a margin of 19,000 votes, with AAP’s HS Phoolka following him.
Congress’ senior leader Santokh Singh Chaudhary, a known Dalit face, has retained Jalandhar seat for the Congress by drubbing SAD’s sitting MlA Pawan Kumar Tinu by over 70,000 votes.
The party’s move to make Bathinda a battle between the Badal family by fielding Badal’s estranged nephew Manpreet Badal against Badal’s daughter-in-law and sitting MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal has also proved futile as SAD managed to retain its traditional seat by wining it from a margin of 19,395 votes.
looser Manpreet
Once a loser, always a loser. After parting ways with the SAD, Manpreet Badal has emerged as a successive loser by failing to win even a single seat during 2012 Assembly polls, followed by couple of by-elections, and now 2012 lok Sabha polls.Even joining hands with Akalis’ arch-rival did not worked for him as he failed to open his account. Though he bagged 4.95 lakh votes, but it proved inadequate to secure him a win in the battle between Badal family.
BJP improves tally
Even as the BJP is making merry by securing win on the two seats it lost during 2009 polls, the defeat on the remaining seat, Amritsar, has eclipsed even its laudable performance at the national level.For the saffron party, Amritsar emerged out to be a prestige battle with its senior leader, Arun Jaitley, contesting his first ever lok Sabha election against Capt Amarinder. Even as the entire SAD-BJP leadership infused their full energy on Amritsar seat at the cost of the other two, Jaitley lost to Capt Amarinder by 1.02 lakh votes.
Emergence of AAP
AAP has emerged out to be the second largest party, in terms of seat share, in Punjab. It bagged one-forth share of votes in the State as the traditional political formation in the State - that is rural vote bank lies with Akalis and urban with BJP or Congress - going for a toss.