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By Manjeet Sehgal: The election campaign for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypolls ended on Monday. The seat was vacated after Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary died this January.
Political analysts say that this is a four-corner contest as four major political parties – the ruling AAP, the Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and the BJP – have claimed to win the election.
SAD, CONGRESS SEEKING SYMPATHY VOTES
The parties did not leave any stone unturned to woo voters during the 40-day election campaign. While the Shiromani Akali Dal, in the last days of the campaigning, sought votes in the name of former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for its nominee Dr Sukhwinder Sukhi, the Congress appealed to the people to vote for Santokh Singh Chaudhary’s widow, Karamjit Kaur, who is the party nominee.
The Congress is trying hard to save its fortress as the party has won this seat 14 times. Santokh Singh Chaudhary, who died in January, had won the seat twice. The Congress was able to retain this seat even during the Modi wave.
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The Congress’s star campaigners included the Leader of the Opposition, Pratap Singh Bajwa, the party’s state chief, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Rana Gurjeet Singh.
The SAD is fighting for its existence. The party lost two consecutive assembly polls. Even five-time Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal lost the 2022 election. The party is now trying to woo the voters and seek votes in the name of Badal, whose sudden death on April 26 hit the brakes on the party’s campaign.
Over the past two days, as the Akalis resumed their campaign, Bikram Majithia actively promoted the party’s candidate.
LITMUS TEST FOR RULING AAP
The Aam Aadmi Party, which is in power in Punjab, will have to prove that its historic 2022 victory was not a fluke. In a major setback, the AAP lost the Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll just three months after it formed the government in the state. Sangrur is Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s home turf.
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The AAP has gone all out to ensure a bypoll win. Leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, held roadshows and rallies for the party nominee, Sushil Rinku.
The opposition accused the AAP of misusing the official machinery for the campaign.
The BJP claimed it has recovered the loss it incurred due to its alliance with the SAD. One of the oldest NDA allies, the SAD left the coalition over differences during the farmers’ protests against the three farm laws which were ultimately recalled by the Centre.
After the Assembly elections, this is the first time when the BJP is contesting an election without an alliance.
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Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and Anurag Singh Thakur, former Gujarat Chief Minister and in-charge of the BJP’s affairs, Vijay Rupani, and Captain Amrinder Singh campaigned for the BJP candidate, Inder Iqbal Atwal.
The BJP leaders, who were not allowed to campaign by angry farmers during the 2022 assembly polls, now claimed that they were welcomed by the rural voters.
“This is just the trailer. We will win the 2024 and the 2027 assembly elections. We are now on our feet and going to villages where we are being welcomed. The loss caused by the alliance has been recovered,” Hardeep Singh Puri said.
DIRECT FIGHT BETWEEN CONGRESS AND AAP: POLITICAL ANALYSTS
Political analysts based in Chandigarh are of the opinion that despite the efforts by the SAD and the BJP, this is a direct fight between the Congress and the AAP.
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“The Congress may or may not win the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll. The AAP may finish second and the Akali Dal and the BJP are fighting for the third and the fourth places,” a psephologist said, on the condition of anonymity.
Another political analyst claimed that the contest is confusing as it is multi-cornered.
“The issues are missing. The AAP leaders promised they will prove that they can perform well. They also faced criticism for failing to fulfill the election promises. Does this mean that you (AAP) confess that you did not perform well in the first year of governance?” he asked, adding, “Both the Akali Dal and the BJP have sought votes in the name of their past performances but they are not the top contenders. All the four major players are seen on the same line.”
According to them, the AAP’s only advantage is that it is the ruling party in the state and the Congress is relying on sympathy votes. The Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat also happens to be a pocket borough of the Congress.
The votes will be polled on May 10 and the results will be announced on May 13.
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