Jalandhar Lok Sabha Bypoll: Campaign in full swing, but fervour missing

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, May 1

Even as political parties are leaving nothing to chance and giving it their all, voters don’t seem too enthused about the Lok Sabha byelection.

Leaders cutting across party lines admit there is a lack of enthusiasm among people this time. Farmers are busy in the wheat harvest. With future forecast of rain in coming days, they remain invested in farming only at the moment.

Enthusiasm missing

Leaders cutting across party lines admit there is a lack of enthusiasm among people this time. Farmers are busy in the wheat harvest. With future forecast of rain in coming days, they remain invested in farming only at the moment.

At the level of parties, the AAP and the Congress have been running the most hectic campaign; but still there is something amiss in the grassroots campaign. An ominous lack of Congress’ posters in the Jalandhar constituency has also been acknowledged at the highest level, even though AAP flags throng the area.

At the AAP’s campaign in Shahkot a few days ago, volunteers from Tarn Taran turned up for the show. At Congress’ campaign rally in Kukkar Pind in Jalandhar Cantt yesterday, crowds from Paragpur, Jamsher and Adampur turned up to attend the event. At AAP’s Bundala roadshow a few days ago, a crowd of 90 to 100, a sizeable number comprising AAP volunteers only, gathered to applause the CM.

During leader Sushil Rinku’s campaign in his own constituency Jalandhar West, too, vehicles and workers from Amritsar aided the road show.

At the Congress’ packed event at the busy Jyoti Chowk in Jalandhar, for which crowds were mobilised by councillor Sherry Chadha; a leader at the end of the event publicly congratulated the councillor for bringing in the crowds swiftly — as opposed to empty chairs earlier.

While each party has hosted a few packed events and rallies in rural areas, there is a substantial lack of fervour in majority of the events given the groundswell of the previous years for both AAP (which saw packed rallies in 2022 elections) and the Congress (which has retained the Jalandhar seat for decades).

A Shahkot based farmer said, “This time the election craze is missing. We are busy with harvest and managing toori (wheat straw). Elections will come again.”

A Congress leader said, “The polls coinciding with harvest has reduced enthusiasm of some people but the campaign is in full swing. The AAP, being the ruling party, is creating hurdles in getting permissions for poll events. We had sought five vehicles for an event at Adampur and only one auto got clearance. We are now finding alternative means.”

An AAP leader said, “Blocks have been allocated to our ground volunteers where they are supposed to work. They can’t meddle in any other area. That might give that affect. We are pushing in all our might. There is full fervour for AAP.”

While AAP’s flags dot Jalandhar, there is a lack of Congress’ flags in the area. So much so, that it was also mentioned by PCC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring recently at a Jyoti Chowk event. Warring said, “Once on campaign in Haryana for Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala against Om Parkash Chautala, I noticed green (Chautala) flags in all houses in the village. In the evening, I told him, ‘Surjewala Sahib Kamm Kharab hai, sare gharan te hare rang da jhanda hai. Jiven ajkal jhharoo da jhanda thaan thaan te tangeya peya. Khambeyan te, dukanan te. Surjewala Sahib gave me a slogan which I will repeat here – ‘Jhanda chat par, vote hath par’.”