New Delhi, January 4
Faced with a tough contest in next month’s Punjab elections, the Congress is keen to see it does not boil down to a direct fight between Akali Dal leader Prakash Singh Badal and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
Congress poll strategists believe it would be tough going for them if the upcoming election is perceived as a “Badal vs Amarinder” battle as this would immediately put the spotlight on the chief minister’s personal deficiencies. Capt Amarinder Singh has faced strong criticism for surrounding himself with a coterie and being inaccessible not just to the public but also to party workers, an image which he has tried to rectify by undertaking an extensive “vikas yatra” through the state.
The Congress would prefer that the election campaign is projected as a fight between the two principal political parties since this will shift the focus away from the complaints against Capt Amarinder Singh to the government’s achievements.
The Akali Dal’s campaign, on the other hand, revolves around Badal and his son,” remarked a senior Congress leader from Punjab.
Since the party’s campaign so far, has been largely “Amarinder centric”, Congress leaders will have to devise a strategy in the coming days to see that the political discourse shifts to the development work undertaken by the Congress government in Punjab as well as the UPA government’s achievements. In addition, the party will also be counting on the fact that the country has its first Sikh Prime Minister in Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s personal charisma, who will both be campaigning in the state.
On the flip side, the Congress has reason to worry as it has lost important local leaders to its opponents while the various Akali groups, who were busy battling each other, are now closing ranks given the recent rapprochement between Mr Chandumajra and Mr Badal.
Congress strategists believe they can still salvage the situation and overcome anti-incumbency if they change their “non-performing” candidates and replace them with younger and new faces. However, this will require some deft political management so that those denied tickets do not become rebels and work to defeat the official candidates.
