Saffron loss is Cong gain : The Tribune India

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Saffron loss is Cong gain

CHANDIGARH: The Akali Dal may have suffered its worst ever poll defeat, but the party’s total vote share has not dropped much since the 2014 Parliamentary election.



Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 12

The Akali Dal may have suffered its worst ever poll defeat, but the party’s total vote share has not dropped much since the 2014 Parliamentary election.

The Congress has, however, managed to increase its vote share from 33 per cent in 2014 general elections to 38.47 per cent now.

It is actually the BJP, which has seen its vote share taking a dip of more than 3 per cent. Even AAP has managed to retain its vote share (from 24.4 per cent in 2014 to 23.74 per cent now). No wonder that the big loser of the day in Punjab is actually the BJP, which has seen its total tally drop from 12 to just three seats, besides losing its vote share by over 3 per cent.

This clearly indicates that it is the BJP voters — traders, Hindus and urban voters – who seem to have completely gone the Congress way. The BJP has always had its presence in the urban and semi-urban constituencies. It was on this basis that the saffron party had been allocated 23 seats in alliance with the SAD. The party won just three seats, but remained at the second position in 16 constituencies. At all these places, its candidates have been defeated by the Congress’, which clearly indicates the shift of the BJP core vote bank of Hindus and urbanites towards the Congress.

It is widely believed in the political circles that demonetisation was a major issue in the state that turned the urban voters against the BJP. Even when the political pitch was at its height regarding AAP dabbling with Sikh leaders with separatist ideologies, the urban Hindu voters, who were thought to be inclined towards AAP, did not opt for the BJP, but chose the Congress.

The Akali Dal’s vote share is 25.29 per cent against 26.4 per cent in 2014. However, the party’s vote percentage has dropped sharply from the 2012 Assembly election when it was 34.75 per cent. This means that in spite of the sops being showered on voters, the Akali Dal failed to resurrect itself.

In 2012, the Congress vote share was 40.11 percent. Interestingly, then the party had a higher vote percentage than Akalis, but their seats were just 46 as compared to 68 of the Akali Dal-BJP. This time, Akalis have won just 15 seats even as they secured second position in 42 seats.

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