All is set for the multi-cornered Punjab Assembly polls on February 20 with over 2.14 crore voters to decide the fate of 1,304 candidates, including 93 women, on 117 seats. Polling will be held from 8 am till 6 pm, said an official of the chief electoral office here. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.
Punjab is witnessing a multi-cornered contest among the Congress, AAP, SAD-BSP alliance, BJP-PLC-SAD (Sanyukt), and the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha, a political front of various farmer bodies. The ruling Congress, which is seeking to retain power, has come under severe attack from its political opponents over various issues, including drug menace and corruption.
The Congress is banking on decisions like reducing electricity tariff and fuel prices, taken during current CM Charanjit Singh Channi's 111-day tenure. The Aam Aadmi Party, which has emerged as a major contender, is eyeing to wrest power while projecting the Delhi model of governance.
The stakes are also high for the Shiromani Akali Dal which is contesting the polls in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party after breaking ties with the BJP in 2020 over the farm laws issue. With Sukhbir Singh Badal in the driving seat, the SAD called itself Punjab's own party and promised all-round development of the state.
The BJP, which used to be a junior partner during its previous alliance with the SAD, is fighting the elections as a major partner. Entering into an alliance with Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led SAD (Sanyukt), the saffron party has asked voters to go for a double-engine government for Nawan (new) Punjab.
The Sanyukt Samaj Morcha, comprising various Punjab farmer bodies, which had taken part in the stir against the Centre's now-repealed farm laws, is contesting the polls in alliance with Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union (Chaduni) leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni-led Sanyukt Sangharsh Party. Prominent faces who are in the fray are Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Aam Aadmi Party's chief ministerial face Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, former CMs Amarinder Singh and Parkash Singh Badal, and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma and former Union minister Vijay Sampla are also fighting the elections. All major political parties have promised a host of freebies to woo voters.
While AAP has promised Rs 1,000 for all women, the Congress has also promised Rs 1,100 per month for needy women. The SAD-BSP alliance has promised Rs 2,000 per month to all women heads of blue card holder families (BPL beneficiaries).
The Congress and the SAD-BSP alliance have promised one lakh government jobs. The SAD-BSP promised 75 percent reservation for state youth in public and private sectors. The BJP led alliance has made a similar promise, but for the government sector only.
AAP has promised up to 300 units of free power while the SAD-BSP promised 400 units of free electricity. The high-pitched campaigning, which saw participation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union minister Smriti Irani, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, came to an end on Friday.
Modi, who held three rallies at Jalandhar, Pathankot and Abohar, covering Punjab's Doaba, Majha and Malwa regions, had accused the Congress and the AAP of pretending to fight against each. Rahul Gandhi had cautioned people against going for any "experiment" in the Punjab polls, saying that maintaining peace was most important for the state and only his party was capable of it.
There are a total of 2,14,99,804 voters, including 1,02,00,996 women. There are 24,740 polling stations, of which 2,013 have been identified as critical, said an official. Adequate security arrangements have been made for ensuring free and fair polling, said the official.
In the wake of elections, the state government has declared a paid holiday for employees working in shops, commercial establishments and factories on Sunday. In the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls, the Congress had ended the SAD-BJP combine's 10-year-regime by bagging 77 seats.
The AAP had managed to get 20 seats while the SAD-BJP had won 18 and two seats went into the kitty of the Lok Insaaf Party.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
