Punjab set for multi-cornered contests on all seats

Jupinderjit Singh

Chandigarh, May 30

Campaigning ended for the June 1 Lok Sabha election in Punjab, which, for the first time, will see even five-cornered contests on several seats.

The elections are a litmus test for the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government which is seeking a vote on the issues of development, employment generation and free power supply (300 units per month) in its two-year rule in the state.

In figures

• Total candidates: 328
• Women candidates: 26
• Total voters: 2.14 cr
• Men: 1.12 cr
• Women: 1.01 cr
• Transgender voters: 773

The elections are a matter of survival for the beleaguered Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) whose performance in the elections has been going from bad to worse since 2017. It is for the first time in 25 years that SAD and the BJP are fighting the General Election on their own. For the BJP, the poll or even the vote share will determine if the party can stand on its own in the state.

Also keenly watched is the fate of turncoats. This is more true for the BJP, which has nominated 11 of the 13 candidates from other parties.

Five AAP ministers — Dr Balbir Singh (Patiala), Laljit Singh Bhullar (Khadoor Sahib), Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal (Amritsar), Gurmeet Singh Khuddian (Bathinda) and Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer (Sangrur) — are also trying their luck in national politics.

Seven other MLAs of different parties, besides ex-CM Charanjit Singh Channi (Jalandhar) and ex-deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa (Gurdaspur), are also contesting.

Khalistan supporter Amritpal Singh besides candidates of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) representing the hardliners are also in the fray.

This is also the first election in almost two decades when cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu is missing from the campaigning.

Polling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm on June 1, said officials. Poll analysts feel that the contest might be close in some seats and even bagging 30 per cent votes could be enough for victory.

Top national leaders led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal besides Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nirmala Sitharaman, BJP chief JP Nadda, Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among top leaders to campaign for their party candidates. As many as 328 candidates, including 26 women, are contesting elections in Punjab, while in Chandigarh, 19 candidates, including two women, are trying their luck.

A total of 2,14,61,739 voters, including 1,01,74,240 women and 773 transgenders, are eligible to vote in Punjab.