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Punjab poll on Feb 13 but first result is out
Issues are the loser
WSN Bureau
CHANDIGARH:
In
such ways has
the polity turned and twisted in Punjab that when the state goes to
polls on February 13, it will be less a dance of democracy than a
wrestling match of wits, attacks, allegations, conspiracies, claims
and counter-claims between Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and
Akali Dal president Parkash Singh Badal. Parties have lost out to
personalities even before the elections take place.
The Election Commission announced the polling date on December
29.The counting and results will be out by February 27. The talk is
stuck on whether it will be Congress again, or Akalis, and if the
Akalis do come back, who will it be? Badal senior or Sukhbir Singh
Badal? Top brass of Congress is increasingly yielding way to a
campaign style adopted by CM Amarinder Singh, the only consolation
for the sidelined Congress party being that Akalis are in the same
boat.
The Akali Dal is being interpreted to mean Badal Sr or Sukhbir.
Gone is the party machinery of the Congress, the Sewa Dal spirit of
volunteers,
the slogans about ‘Aam Aadmi’.
Gone on the Akali side is the call to panthic interests, the issues
of Sikh community, the demands for Chandigarh or the Anandpur Sahib
resolution, or the crisis of ‘patit’ phenomena.
Instead, both parties talk of mega projects, big development, 21st
century!
The model code of conduct — it is surprising that the governments
are expected to be less than ‘model’ till the poll date is announced
— came into force immediately. The notification for Punjab poll
would be issued on January 18 and the last date for filing
nominations will be January 25. Scrutiny would take place on January
27 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature was January 29.
Meanwhile, Uttaranchal would have elections on February 21 while the
strife-torn Manipur would go to polls in three phases on February 8,
15 and 23. The February 13 date for elections came as a bolt from
the blue for the ruling Congress in the state. The party was hoping
that the elections would be held either in the last week of February
or on March 1. Last time, the Assembly elections were held on
February 13, 2002, and the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, had
taken the oath of office on February 27, 2002. However, this time
the counting of votes will be held on February 27.
Just two days before the polls, Education Minister Pratap Singh
Bajwa had made major plans to recruit 2,000 more teachers with a
fast-track method. CM Amarinder Singh had plans to announce more
sops to impact voters, a traditional system of bribing the voters
just before polls which is shamelessly indulged in by almost all
political parties.
Badal is trying to rope in Prem Singh Chandumajra and Baldev Singh
Mann, a development that will effectively see the end of Akali Dal (Longowal).
To what extent will the anti-Badal slew of Akali Dals affect the
election outcome will be a keenly watched sport. Akali Dal (Badal)
and the BJP reached a seat-sharing pact, leaving 23 of the 117 seats
to the BJP. Badal was quick to release the first list of 62
candidates even as Congress is planning to do so sometime in
mid-January. As Punjab prepares to witness a two-month long
slug-fest of allegations, sloganeering, dusty and cash-rich campaign
where money and booze will flow as freely as inane arguments and
allegations of corruption, one poll result is already clear — the
issues are the loser. For the winner, watch this space.
3 January 2007
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