The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Punjab): The upcoming Punjab Lok Sabha elections are gearing up to be a highly competitive four-cornered contest involving the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Each party faces unique challenges and has crafted strategies to secure votes in this crucial battleground state.
Despite facing existential threats due to desertions by prominent local leaders like Pawan Kumar Tinnu, the Maluka family, and Talbir Gill, along with a radical revival in its core areas, the SAD has managed to field some strong candidates. These include Harsimrat Badal (Bathinda), Prem Singh Chandumajra (Anandpur Sahib), Anil Joshi (Amritsar), and Virsa Valtoha (Khadoor Sahib). However, SAD’s realistic chances appear limited to its stronghold in Bathinda.
The BJP, after parting ways with SAD post the farm laws controversy in 2020, has been navigating its political journey solo in Punjab. While it made some inroads in the Sangrur and Jalandhar by-elections and inducted regional Jatt leaders like Captain Amarinder Singh and Sunil Jakhar, the party faces significant opposition from farmers. Despite religious appeals to Sikhs and efforts to consolidate its upper-caste Hindu base, the BJP is struggling in its traditional strongholds of Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur. The reliance on “imported defectors” such as Ravneet Bittu, Sushil Rinku, Perneet Kaur, and Rana Gurmit Sodhi leaves its prospects uncertain without the support of its erstwhile ally, SAD.
Amidst this backdrop, the primary contest appears to be between the Congress and AAP. Both parties are vying for dominance in a state where there is a noticeable lack of positive enthusiasm among the electorate for any single party. The Congress, with its established political machinery and historical presence, is facing off against the relatively newer but increasingly influential AAP, which has been making significant inroads in Punjab politics.
