Too close to call

Punjab goes to the polls tomorrow in a multi-cornered contest that has made the voters’ job quite tough. This scenario is unusual for a state whose electorate has alternated between the Congress and the Akalis for decades. The main contenders are the ruling Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the SAD-BSP combine and the BJP-led alliance, with the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha — a political outfit formed by the farm unions which spearheaded the year-long farmers’ agitation — also entering the fray. Beset with anti-incumbency and infighting, the Congress attempted to do course correction barely six months before the elections by dislodging Capt Amarinder Singh and replacing him with Charanjit Singh Channi. The latter is the state’s first CM from the Scheduled Caste community, which accounts for almost one-third of its population. With its national footprint shrinking alarmingly, the Congress is desperate to retain Punjab. Among the opposition parties, the ambitious AAP is hoping to avoid a repeat of the 2017 elections, when it had flattered to deceive, and spread its wings beyond Delhi. Former allies Akalis and the BJP are looking to regain lost ground and remain relevant in the border state.

The campaigning, which reached a crescendo this week after the easing of Covid-induced restrictions, was dominated by the exchange of accusations between the major parties. Amid this din, the burning issues — unemployment, drug menace, debt burden, agrarian crisis, industrial problems — have been reduced to mere footnotes. The stakeholders have little to offer beyond freebies — there is no concrete plan to pull the state out of the current mess. It’s debatable whether the Haryana-like promise of 75 per cent reservation in government jobs for the state’s youths can stall their relentless march to western countries.

Punjab’s voters are known for giving a decisive mandate. Considering the unprecedented multiplicity of choices this time, the prospect of a hung Assembly can’t be ruled out. In case that happens, post-poll realignment will hold the key to government formation. No matter which party/alliance comes to power, what’s direly needed is a strong, sincere and stable dispensation that can enable Punjab to turn the tide at long last.

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