M A I N   N E W S

Punjab Jitters
Puzzling quiet on D-day eve
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 26
With the Congress as well as the SAD-BJP putting up a brave face, the verdict given by 1.68 crore voters of Punjab on February 13 will be finally made public tomorrow.

Interestingly, while Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and his colleagues were in Chandigarh for the last meeting of the present Council of Ministers, the Leader of the Opposition Parkash Singh Badal, too, has been camping in the city for the past few days.

The results tomorrow will also decide the political future of Simranjit Singh Mann and his Dal and of a number of Congressmen and Akalis who revolted and ignored appeals of their respective leaders while opting to enter the fray as Independents.

True, Congress and SAD are the main players in the poll arena but the performance of candidates of BJP, BSP, CPI, CPM and Shiromani Akali Dal (Simranjit Singh Mann) will have a bearing on the future of Punjab politics.

Though elections are never won till the results are announced, this time the contest has been the fiercest. High voter turnout, peaceful poll with both the sides pinning hopes mainly on their experienced war horses, the decision has been left to voters who have “maintained secrecy of the ballot” witnessed never before.

It is this secrecy which is making both the camps “uneasy”. From national to provincial down to the local issues were debated upon during the campaign leading to the record poll a fortnight ago. Though last two days of campaign cut short by an unprecedented spell of inclement weather, unusual wet weather failed to keep the enthusiastic voters indoors.

Women outnumbered their male counterparts in some semi-urban and even rural constituencies of the Doaba and Majha regions.

While both the Congress and the SAD-BJP had put everything at stake, yet none could convincingly claim having wooed or won over the voters. While there were allegations and counter allegations of votes being bought or voters being bribed, but the impressive turnout defied all such allegations.

While the Congress has gone on its own, SAD stayed with its trusted alliance partner the BJP. The Communists, who normally side with secular political outfits like Congress, acted wise this time after burning their fingers in “unprecedented defection of its entire legislature party to the Congress” last time.

In all there are 1,050 candidates in fray for 116 Assembly seats.

The highest tally any party has reached in Punjab has been 75 by the SAD in 1997 and again 73 by the same party in 1985. For Congress, its highest tally ever has been 87 in 1992 when mainstream Akalis had boycotted the poll. Otherwise the Congress has never crossed 63 mark since 1977.

The BJP had a flattering tally of 18 in 1997 while the BSP reached highest figure of nine in 1992. The CPI also got nine seats in 1980 while the CPM won eight in 1977.