Din ends, silent voter holds key

Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 2

The high-pitched campaign for the February 4 Assembly elections in Punjab came to an end this evening with the three main contenders — SAD-BJP, Congress and AAP — holding impressive roadshows to give a final push to their campaigns. As loudspeakers went silent at 5 pm, party cadres were seen going door-to-door to persuade the voters. AAP is fighting the  Assembly elections in Punjab for the first time.

Edit: No scope for violence

The campaigning, that was often shrill and at times nasty, was marred by the twin blasts at Maur Mandi in Bathinda on January 31 in which six persons were killed and several injured. But for the Bathinda incident, campaigning in the state was by and large peaceful. 

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In the first round, the electioneering revolved around the issues of drugs, unemployment, agrarian crisis and incidents of sacrilege. It was reduced to mere rabble-rousing in the last phase, with leaders making wild allegations against one another. What stood out was the participation of the Punjab youth in a big way.

Polling for the 117 Assembly constituencies in Punjab on February 4 will decide the fate of 1,145 candidates in the fray. There is a stiff triangular contest among the SAD-BJP, Congress and AAP candidates in a majority of  constituencies. Other parties, such as the BSP, are in the election arena too. 

On the last day of campaigning, AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi chose to focus on Malwa, including Lambi, where PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh is pitted against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal held a roadshow in Lambi. The AAP convener, Arvind Kejriwal, held one in Ludhiana. Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal spent the day in Jalalabad, her husband’s constituency. 

AAP's Bhagwant Mann and Congress’ Navjot Singh Sidhu drew huge crowds during campaigning. Among the key campaigners were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BSP chief Mayawati, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and a number of senior leaders from various parties.

The Prime Minister addressed two rallies  in Jalandhar and Kotkapura where he sought votes on the “stability” plank, saying Pakistan was trying to disturb the state’s peace. 

On the other hand, Rahul claimed Punjab, a front-ranking state, had fallen behind as the ruling Akalis had “plundered” it to serve their own interests. He promised tough laws to curb the drug menace. 

New entrant AAP accused the SAD and the Congress of “hobnobbing” with each other and vowed to put the Badal family behind bars on the issue of drugs. All parties wooed the Dalits who constitute over 30 per cent of the electorate.