In the entire country, this time the election for thirteen seats in Punjab has been decided. This is because the veteran parties BJP, Congress, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and the oldest Akali Dal are fighting against each other for the first time for thirteen seats. Another feature of this election is that Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have formed an alliance in Goa, Gujarat and Haryana. However, they have pretended to struggle in Punjab. On the other hand, the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal have also been pitted against each other for the past 26 years.
Intelligence agencies have reported that the Khalistani forces are trying to assert their influence indirectly on the political battlefield. The participation of these separatist forces in the year-long farmers' agitation was also widely discussed. Apart from this, it appears that the land of Punjab has become cursed due to the illegal drug trade. It is considered inevitable that this will affect the elections. Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has often expressed his desire to be a contender for the post of prime minister. However, his party is contesting only 19 seats across the country. It has thirteen seats in Punjab, four in capital Delhi, and one each in Haryana and Gujarat. In Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party had won the only seat in Sangrur with 7.38 percent votes in the last general election. Against this, Congress won eight seats with 40.12 percent votes. The Akali Dal, the traditional rival of the Congress, won two seats with 27.76 per cent votes and the BJP with 9.63 per cent seats.
Aam Aadmi Party's best performance in 2014 was winning four seats with 24.4 percent votes. Akali Dal won four seats with 26.53 percent votes, while BJP won two seats with 8.70 percent votes. There was an alliance between BJP and Akali Dal then. Congress, which got the highest 33.10 percent votes, had to settle for only three seats then.
A declaration of self-reliance by all
The Aam Aadmi Party had pulled off a miracle in the 2022 assembly elections by winning 92 seats in the 117-member Punjab Assembly with a vote share of 42.10 percent. That is why Kejriwal's party is hoping to perform well in the Lok Sabha without sharing seats with the Congress. Local Congress leaders were also opposed to a possible alliance. It is a matter of course for both the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party that this time the Akali Dal and the BJP, once allies, are contesting the elections separately. From the beginning, BJP played the role of Akali Dal's younger brother in Punjab. When Navjot Singh Sidhu was in BJP, he did not agree with BJP taking such a secondary role. Because of this, Akali Dal leaders used to fire on him all the time. Later, he had differences with BJP and left the party. Interestingly, he was the one who first made fun of Rahul Gandhi by the name of Pappu.
BJP's aspirations are now going up in smoke. Therefore, leaving the support of Akali Dal, this party is fighting on its own in all the thirteen seats in the state. However, the BJP has not been able to develop state level leadership. After the dearth of candidates in thirteen Lok Sabha seats, the BJP decided to import leaders from the Congress. Former state president of Punjab Congress Sunil Jakhar, Patiala MP Parneet Kaur, senior leader of Punjab Congress Ravneet Singh and other leaders were not satisfied with the Congress. Therefore, he was given the candidature immediately after being admitted to the party.
Leaders who were strongly opposed to BJP two years ago, are now seen fighting for their lives to make the lotus bloom. This contrast is significant.
Due to the anger of the farmers, there is no possibility of BJP getting a big success in Punjab this time. The BJP, which has an image of an urban-oriented party, has high expectations from the state's 38 percent Hindu community. Even if the BJP wins two or three seats this time, it could be a future sign for the party. Congress is hoping for the golden performance of yesteryear. This time she looks tough. Because, most of the key leaders of Congress have gone to BJP. Voters here are not too enthusiastic about Akali Dal either. The rest is about the Aam Aadmi Party. The party is on the back foot due to the Swati Maliwal beating case. While the party hopes to do brilliantly in the assembly elections, voter apathy appears to be a universal problem. Against this background, on June 4, the answer will be given to whom the voters of Punjab will throw their weight behind.