Amritsar voters hold their cards close to chest as parties promise freebies

Tribune News Service

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, May 6

What factors may decide the results for Lok Sabha election from Amritsar? Will it be 300 units of free power, law and order, drug addiction or other civic issues plaguing the constituency? In the multi-cornered contest, victory is almost difficult to predict for a contestant. Psephologists are busy studying the trends and what would influence the outcome from Amritsar Lok Sabha seat which is witnessing a keen contest between sitting Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, BJP nominee Taranjeet Singh Sandhu, SAD candidate Anil Joshi and AAP contestant Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal.

Turncoats take away political parties’ charm

The charm of political parties and personality of candidates contesting the elections have gradually waned as politicians are hopping parties because of their personal grudges and ambitions. Several prominent leaders, including Ludhiana’s Ravneet Singh Bittu, AAP MP from Jalandhar Sushil Kumar Rinku and others changed their parties. In the city, Talbir Singh Gill, once a loyalist of senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia, deserted the SAD to join the AAP, citing allegations of being ignored by Majithia

The charm of political parties and personality of candidates contesting the elections have gradually waned as politicians are hopping parties because of their personal grudges and ambitions. Several prominent leaders, including Ludhiana’s Ravneet Singh Bittu, AAP MP from Jalandhar Sushil Kumar Rinku and others changed their parties. In the city, Talbir Singh Gill, once a loyalist of senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia, deserted the SAD to join the AAP, citing allegations of being ignored by Majithia.

All these factors are eroding the credibility of not only political parties but also of leaders among voters who are compelled to contemplate where they stand in their scheme of things. Mangal Singh, a mechanic at a car workshop, said, “Politicians are only thinking of themselves, not about people’s welfare. This election is an exercise for them to get power or at least go one step closer to the seat of power.”

Switching of sides by leaders has dimmed party lines which once used to define families separately in villages and mohallas. In this scenario, not only the electorate but staunch supporters of politicians are constrained to contemplate why they are supporting a particular party or a candidate. In return, what they are getting for their daily subsistence is their major concern.

Gursimran Singh, an employee with a private national bank, said the entire responsibility to run a family increased when high inflation was witnessed after the demonetisation, introduction of GST and Covid-19 phase. “A family comprising four to six members is paying on an average between Rs 2,800 to Rs 4,000 per head for transportation (it includes cost of fuel), milk, grocery, power utility and others. In case of school-going kids, the expenses shoot up even further. “There is nobody to hold their hand except waiving off power utility when it remains within the prescribed limit,” he said.

Prof Satnam Singh Deol of Guru Nanak Dev University’s Political Science department said myriad factors are at play during the casting of votes. A particular economic segment of voters may be influenced by this thought. Voters are disappointed with the behaviour of politicians and their party hopping. It may reflect a fall in vote percentage. Once, Punjab’s politics was characterised by high character of politicians and their sophisticated demeanour as they never hit below the belt, but no longer is this the case. People look for fun and banter from politicians and go to astrologers for their educated unemployed wards to explore job prospects.

Harvinder Singh Sandhu, district BJP president, said free power supply was not an issue in this election. The voters are against the ruling AAP for poor law and order condition in the state and rampant drug addiction among youth, he observed.

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