Tag: punjab elections 2022

Punjab Elections: Half of Winning Candidates Have Criminal Cases; 74% Are Crorepatis

In the AAP’s historic landslide victory, of the party’s 92 winning candidates, 69% are crorepatis and 57% of them have criminal cases registered against them.

New Delhi: Half of all winning candidates in the recently-concluded Punjab assembly elections have criminal cases against them, a March 14 report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Punjab Election Watch (PEW) has revealed.

The report, which analysed the self-sworn affidavits of all 177 successful candidates in the election, also revealed that 23% of these candidates had ‘serious’ criminal cases against them, in addition to other findings related to the candidates’ financial details, education backgrounds, gender and so on.

Criminal records

Of the 117 successful candidates, 58 (50%) had criminal cases against them. In the last Punjab assembly election, held in 2017, this figure stood at 16 (14%).

Of these 58 candidates, 52 were from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which swept the election, winning 92 seats, meaning that 57% of the party’s successful candidates declared criminal cases in their election affidavits.

Moreover, three of the Congress’s 18 winning candidates declared criminal records, as did two of the Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD) three and one of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) two winners.

Additionally, 27 (23%) winning candidates declared ‘serious’ criminal cases, as compared to 11 (9%) in 2017. 

The ADR and PEW report classifies crimes as ‘serious’ if the offence committed has a maximum punishment of five or more years; if the offence is non-bailable; if it is an electoral offence, such as bribery (Indian Penal Code Section 171E); as well as offences related to loss to the exchequer; rape, murder, assault or kidnapping; offences detailed in Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act; offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act; and crimes against women.

As such, 23 of the AAP’s winners have cases for serious crimes against them, compared to two from the Congress and two from the SAD.

AAP candidate Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, who won from Ajnala in Amritsar, has charges under IPC Section 302 (murder) pending against him, among others. Similarly, the AAP’s Daljit Singh Grewal, who won from Ludhiana East, has, among others, charges under IPC Section 307 (attempted murder) pending, as does Sheetal Angural, the AAP’s winning candidate from Jalandhar West.

Angural is also faced with a litany of other charges, including mischief committed with fire or explosive substances, kidnapping and abduction, assault to deter a public servant from committing their duty, charges under the Arms Act, and many more.

Also read: India Lodges Protest Against Singapore PM’s Speech on MPs With Criminal Charges

Financial details

The report also details the number of ‘crorepati’ winners in the Punjab election. 87 (74%) successful candidates have assets amounting to greater than Rs 1 crore; a reduction from the 95 (81%) crorepati winners in 2017.

Indeed, the AAP’s campaign in the run-up to its landslide success focused heavily on the party fielding ‘common man’ candidates who don’t come from wealthy financial backgrounds. 

However, 63 (69%) of the AAP’s 92 winning candidates declared assets of more than Rs 1 crore. For the Congress, 17 (94%) of 18 candidates were crorepatis and for all other parties, all successful candidates were crorepatis, including the one independent winner.

The ‘common man’ angle is central to the AAP’s party identity as a whole and it was no different in the party’s campaign prior to the election. Much was made of candidates like Labh Singh Oghoke – who defeated incumbent Congress chief minister from the Bhadaur seat – whose election affidavit notes that his only possession is a 2014 Hero Honda motorcycle and who challenged Channi’s claims of being a “gareeb ghar ka beta” (son of a poor household).

Similarly, AAP’s first time candidate and youth leader Narinder Kaur Bharaj was lauded by the party’s chief minister designate Bhagwant Mann when he said that she does her household chores before going out to campaign.

Also read: From Amritsar’s ‘Padwoman’ to Mobile Repair Shop Owner: Meet AAP’s ‘Giant Killers’ in Punjab

While Ugoke and Bharaj, indeed, have the second and third lowest assets among winning candidates respectively, 69% of the party’s winners being crorepatis – while being considerably lower than those of other parties – certainly puts a dent on its ‘common man’ image.

As does the fact that the candidate with the greatest assets declared, realtor and former Mohali mayor Kulwant Singh, is also an AAP candidate. Singh, in his election affidavit, declared assets worth over Rs 238 crore. 

Gender and education

The 2022 Punjab elections only saw a marginal improvement from 2017 in terms of gender inclusivity with only 13 (11%) of winning candidates being women, compared to 2017’s 6 (5%). From all mainstream parties in the state, only 37 female candidates were fielded in the first place.

Also read: In Punjab, Number of Female Candidates From Mainstream Parties Low Once Again

In terms of education, 45 (38%) of successful candidates across parties declared their education level as being between grades 5-12. 67 (57%) have educational qualifications of the graduate level or above and five winners are diploma holders.

From Amritsar’s ‘Padwoman’ to Mobile Repair Shop Owner: Meet AAP’s ‘Giant Killers’ in Punjab 

The widespread victories of lesser-known candidates in Punjab reveals voters’ entrenched anger with traditional parties in the state – an anger which AAP was able to capitalise on.

Chandigarh: Even as the election verdict in Punjab sent shock waves across the country and beyond, it was less known faces that stole the show by defeating the bigwigs in the state.

One of the major upsets of the election was the massive defeat of incumbent Congress chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi from Bhadaur in the Barnala district. Channi was defeated by more than 34,000 votes by Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Labh Singh Ugoke, who runs a small mobile repair shop in the constituency.

Ugoke’s father is a driver while his mother works as a sweeper in a government school. As per his election affidavit, a 2014 Hero Honda motorcycle is all he owns.

In the run up to the election, Channi claimed to be a “gareeb ghar ka beta” (the son of a poor home) while Ugoke centred his campaign around unmasking Channi as a “fake aam aadmi (common man)”.

“This election verdict has proved beyond doubt who was actually fake and who was the real aam aadmi,” Ugoke told The Wire after his emphatic victory.

When asked “Who is the real Labh Singh,” he responded by saying that he belongs to a poor mazdoor (labourer) family from Ugoke village in Barnala district. “My father worked for years in fields as a labourer, then as a driver later. I was in sixth grade when my mother began sweeping in a village school. She still goes there everyday. As a child, I often helped her in her work as well,” he said.

He said that while he was growing up, he wanted a job in the police or armed forces. “Later, I did a course in mobile repair and opened a shop in my own village. I also did a course in plumbing with the hope of getting a decent job in Middle Eastern countries, but could not manage traveling abroad,” he added.

Fate, however, had something else in store for him. When the AAP came to Punjab in 2013, he joined the party as a volunteer. Since then, he has been working tirelessly for the party. The party eventually recognised his efforts and fielded him from Bhadaur.

When asked whether he was worried about the election outcome since he was fighting against the incumbent chief minister, Ugoke said, “Not at all. Channi had money but I had people on my side and the election outcome had proved that.”

He said his election was fought by the people of his constituency. “It is sad that traditional political parties have made elections very expensive over the years. But I am happy that people came to my support during the campaign,” he said, noting that even his motorcycle, his only possession, was bought for him by his father.

“The car in which I campaigned was my friend’s. I remember during campaigning, people came out voluntarily on their vehicles everyday and made sure that the message of AAP was spread everywhere. My victory, in a real sense, belongs to people.”

Labh Singh, speaking to The Wire while on a personal visit to Jalandhar. Photo: Kusum Arora/ The Wire.

Ever since his victory, Ugoke has emerged as a star attraction. He is often spotted clicking selfies with his people. Even AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal mentioned his name in his victory speech in Delhi, saying, “You know who defeated Charanjit Singh? AAP candidate Labh Singh Ugoke who works in a mobile repair shop.”

Also read: In Punjab’s Bhadaur, Can a Mobile Phone Repair Shop Owner Take on CM Channi?

Another AAP candidate who has gained huge public attention is Jeevan Jyot Kaur, who defeated two prominent leaders in the state; the Congress’ Navjot Singh Sidhu and Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD) Bikram Majithia from Amritsar East, by the margin of over 6,700 votes.

Kaur got 39,520 votes, while Sidhu and Majithia got 32,807 votes & 25,112 votes respectively.

Kaur has been a very interesting candidate. Before joining the AAP as volunteer and later becoming district urban president of the party, she was activist in her locality, promoting menstrual hygiene for women

She began a NGO, SHE, to spread awareness about sanitary pads and thus earned the name, ‘Padwoman’, in Amritsar for reaching out to thousands of poor women and informing them about menstrual hygiene. As per the NGO’s website, it is also working consistently to create a drug-free society,

In her interaction with the media after the poll result, she, too, noted that hers was a victory of the common man.

She said that only media glare made it a hot seat. Otherwise, people of the constituency had already made up their mind to vote for the AAP since they were unhappy with the traditional parties for their inaction.

“It is sad that despite being represented by the Sidhu family for long, this constituency has remained neglected. It is the least developed area in terms of civic infrastructure. My priority is to turn this constituency around,” she said.

Also read: With 85 Debutant MLAs, Punjab Witnesses the Rise of a New Political Class

David versus Goliath 

Meanwhile, the electoral battle in Sangrur was no less a ‘David versus Goliath’ fight, where AAP’s first-time candidate and youth leader Narinder Kaur Bharaj, who declared assets worth Rs 24,000 in the nomination papers, was up against sitting Congress cabinet minister Vijay Inder Singla and BJP nominee and businessman, Arvind Khanna. While Singla had declared Rs 9.62 crore, Khanna owned assets worth Rs 22.77 crore.

A law graduate, a video of hers went viral during the run-up to the election in January in which she reached the sub-divisional magistrate’s office to file her papers on an Activa scooter with her mother. She went on to campaign on that very two wheeler.

During the election, Punjab chief minister-designate Bhagwant Mann referred to her by saying, “She first does her household chores before going for her election campaign.”

AAP’s CM face Bhagwant Mann named Narinder Kaur Bharaj (pictured) as an example of the ‘ordinary women candidates’ the party is fielding in Punjab. Photo: Facebook/NarinderKBharaj.

Despite the tough competition, she got over 74,000 votes, winning the constituency by the huge margin of 36,430 votes over her Congress heavyweight rival Singla. BJP candidate Khanna was reduced to mere a 13,000 votes.

After her victory, Bharaj told the media that the verdict was unbelievable. “People voted for us with an open heart. Now that people have put their huge faith in us, we will ensure that the Delhi model of governance is implemented in Punjab. Schools and hospitals will get maximum priority,” she added.

Another major upset in the election was the defeat of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal from Jalalabad, a constituency he has never lost ever since he first contested from there in 2009. However, riding on the AAP wave, Congress turncoat Jagdeep Kamboj, who joined AAP last year, defeated Badal by nearly 31,000 votes.

Kamboj, who left Congress three years ago after being denied a ticket, fought independently in the 2019 bypoll but did not manage to get more than 5,000 votes. His victory is a reflection of the deeply entrenched anger against traditional parties in the state; an anger did not spare important leaders either.

It is this very reason which led to the defeat of Sukhbir’s father and SAD patriarch, Parkash Singh Badal. Badal lost to AAP’s Gurmeet Singh Khudian by 11,396 votes. This was a humiliating defeat for the senior Badal, who has lost just once only in his 75-year political career. Now 94-years-old, his political career seems to be drawing to a close.

Khudian himself is the son of former MP Jagdev Singh Khudian and is another Congress turncoat who joined AAP last year after feeling like he was being side-lined by the party.

Incumbent chief minister Channi also contested from Chamkaur Sahib, however, we was defeated from there as well, this time by his namesake; AAP candidate Charanjit Singh, a 55-year-old and a doctor by profession.

Charanjit Singh was handpicked by AAP in 2016 and had contested against Channi in the last election too; however, he had lost by over 12,000 votes. However, he continued to work in the constituency and managed to defeat the Channi by 7,942 votes this time around.

This opportunity also came about since Channi’s nephew was caught, before the elections, in an illegal sand mining case and, alleging Channi’s involvement in the same, Charanjit Singh made the controversy the focal point of his campaign.

Also read: Punjab: In Channi’s Constituency, Rivals Target Him Over Illegal Mining, Poor Education

Another AAP giant killer in this election was former SAD leader Ajitpal Singh Kohli, who did the hugely difficult task of defeating former chief minister Amarinder Singh from his Patiala pocket-borough.

While he is a former mayor of the city, he was not a heavyweight candidate when he joined AAP just before the elections.

With 85 Debutant MLAs, Punjab Witnesses the Rise of a New Political Class

Of the 85 new MLAs, 82 are from AAP. The state assembly will also, for the first time in decades, witness the absence of some seasoned politicians who called the shots for long.

Chandigarh: Punjab has not only delivered an unprecedented mandate in favour of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) but the election result has also led to the emergence of a new political class. In the 117-member assembly, 85 are first-time MLAs, indicating a generational shift in Punjab’s polity. The assembly will also, for the first time in decades, witness the conspicuous absence of some seasoned politicians of the state.

Of the 85 debutant MLAs, 82 MLAs belong to AAP. Even chief minister-designate Bhagwant Mann, who led AAP to an unprecedented victory, will also enter the assembly for the first time. Before winning the Dhuri assembly segment in the 2022 polls, he was an MP from the Sangrur district of Punjab for two terms.

Also read: Why an AAP ‘Tsunami’ – and Not Just Wave – Has Come Over Punjab

The political corridors of Punjab will now witness the absence of Badals, Bikram Singh Majithia, Captain Amarinder Singh and other bigwigs like Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, who called the shots in the state politics for long.

Clockwise from top left: Congress leaders Charanjit Singh Channi and Navjot Singh Sidhu, former CM Capt Amarinder Singh, Bikram Singh Majithia, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Parkash Singh Badal who lost Assembly elections 2022, in Punjab. Photo: PTI.

On the other hand, the recent polls have also resulted in an increase in the representation of women MLAs. For the first time, 13 women will enter the assembly, and 11 of them belong to AAP. Five years ago, not more than five women could make it to Punjab Assembly.

Senior journalist Davinder Pal has told The Wire that the average age of lawmakers has considerably reduced this time around, as most of the MLAs earlier were in their 60s and 70s, including that of chief ministers.

“Now, we will have a chief minister in Bhagwant Mann who is under 50. Secondly, he comes from an ordinary family unlike the feudal background of the likes of Amarinder Singh and the Badals,” he adds.

Pal has also pointed to the fact that most new MLAs have had good education although they have low-profile politically.

“It is for the first time in the history of Punjab that the state assembly will have as many as 12 doctors,  and nine of whom are from AAP. These include Dr Charanjit Singh (who defeated incumbent chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi), Dr Baljit Kaur (Malout) and Dr Vijay Singla (Mansa).”

With this marked shift in terms of the composition of the new assembly, many believe Punjab politics is in for a change – from the influence of money and muscle power that dominated politics in the state for long. In some sense, the state has been infamous for political appointments, where MLAs earlier appointed their loyalists to the posts of SHOs, SSPs, Patwaris, Tehsildars and even DCs. AAP CM-designate did refer to this in his numerous public addresses during campaigning.

“This was the reason why the rule of law often remained compromised in Punjab, legitimising corruption and other wrongdoings. The new AAP government must change this trend and allow the rule of law to prevail,” says Pal.

The senior journalist believes that the Punjab election verdict has a “deeper meaning” in the sense that it has completely rejected “Congress’s identity politics, BJP’s polarisation attempts, and money and muscle power of the Akalis”.

“Punjabi voters upheld the spirit of Punjabiyat rooted in oneness and openness. This is the vote for hope and development. AAP must rise up to it and make way for new politics.”

Prominent faces in new AAP government 

While the majority of newly-elected MLAs in the AAP are low profile, there are many who emerged prominent due to their organisational and political skills.

For instance, Harpal Cheema, MLA from Dirba, has been a close confidant of Arvind Kejriwal. He has been the party’s floor leader for over three years under the outgoing Congress government. Winning for the second time with a huge margin of over 50,000 voes, Cheem is most likely to get a plump posting in the new government.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters celebrate as the party heads to a landslide victory in the Punjab Assembly elections, in Amritsar, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Photo: PTI.

Aman Arora, AAP’s co-president of Punjab affairs, has gained status by getting the highest victory margin in 2022 Punjab polls by defeating his rival by over 75,000 votes from Sunam in Sangrur district. Considered close to AAP leaders in Delhi, he is also a likely face in Mann’s cabinet. Aman was earlier in the Congress before joining AAP in 2016 and since gained prominence in the party due to his close links with Bhagwant Mann and Delhi leaders.

Also read: Punjab Election Results: Aam Aadmi Party Marks a Historic Electoral Victory

Former co-convenor of AAP Dr Balbir Sidhu is among prominent names of the party who defeated Congress stalwart Brahm Mohindra’s son, Mohit Mohindra, with a handsome margin of 54,000 votes. He too may be inducted into Mann’s cabinet.

One name that has always received attention in the AAP circles is that of former IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap. He joined AAP last year after resigning from Punjab Police over the ‘sacrilege issue’. He may also find a place in Mann’s cabinet. He was the head of SIT (special investigation team) that indicted Badals for sacrilege. After his report fell flat in Punjab and Haryana high court, he quit his job alleging that the then Congress government did not defend the case properly.

In 2022 polls, he not only won the Amritsar North seat with more than 28,000 votes but also defeated former minister Anil Joshi, a former BJP leader who was projected as a Hindu face by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in this Assembly election.

As far as the party’s young brigade is concerned, there are several faces. Prominent among them are Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer from Barnala, Harjot Singh Bains from Anandpur Sahib and Dinesh Kumar Chadha from Rupnagar. They defeated their rivals by over 37,622, 45,780 and 23,632 votes respectively.

One of them may find a slot in Mann’s cabinet. Among women faces of AAP, Sarvjit Kaur Manuke retained her seat Jagraon in Ludhiana district by defeating SR Kaler of SAD by over 39,656 votes while another prominent woman face of the party Prof Baljinder Kaur defeated SAD’s heavyweight Jeetmohinder Singh Sidhu from Talwandi Sabo by 15,252 votes.

A giant killer among AAP’s women candidates is Jeevanjyot Kaur who defeated Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and SAD’s Bikram Majithia by a margin of 6,750 votes

AAP’s sweet revenge 

Before 2022 polls, as many as eight AAP MLAs defected to Congress. Three of them were given tickets by Congress for this election. Except for Sukhpal Khaira (Bholath), Rupinder Kaur Ruby (Malout), Jagtar Singh Jagga Hissowal (Jagraon) were lost to AAP candidates by big margins.

Apart from this, Ashu Banger (Ferozepur Rural) who shifted loyalties from AAP to Congress too bit the dust. He was AAP’s candidate from Ferozepur rural but created a sensation by joining Congress later and charged AAP leaders of indulging in “selling tickets and minting money”. He lost to the AAP candidate by over 50,000 votes.

Mann to take oath on March 16 

AAP CM-designate Bhagwant Mann will take the oath of the office of chief minister on March 16 in Khatkar Kalan in Nawanshahr district. Khatkar Kalan is the ancestral village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh whom Mann idealised soon after he joined politics in 2011.

AAP leader Bhagwant Mann meets Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit and stakes claim to form government in Punjab, at Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh. Photo: PTI.

He is often spotted wearing Basanti (yellow) coloured turban – a colour often associated with Bhagat Singh. In his victory speech, he even announced that all government offices in Punjab will only have Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s picture instead of the chief minister’s that has been trend here for a long,

On Friday, he chaired the AAP Legislative Party meeting where he asked newly-elected MLAs to remain true to Bhagat Singh’s ideology. He told his new colleagues not to become arrogant and respect even those who didn’t vote for the party. He also told them to spend more time in their constituencies than in Chandigarh (Punjab’s capital)

On Saturday, March 12, he met Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit in Chandigarh and staked claim to form the government. He handed over the letter of support from his party MLAs.

After the meeting, Mann told reporters outside the Raj Bhawan, “We staked the claim to form the government and the governor sahib approved it.”

Why an AAP ‘Tsunami’ – and Not Just Wave – Has Come Over Punjab

Anger against traditional parties, infighting in the Congress and AAP’s positive campaign all played a role.

Chandigarh: Riding on the anger against the traditional parties, the fledgling Aam Aadmi Party swept Punjab polls, registering the biggest ever victory in the state. As per the latest information available from the Election Commission’s website, AAP has won 92 out of 117 seats, much ahead of the majority mark of 59 seats.

No party in Punjab ever registered such an emphatic win in the history of its polls.

AAP’s wave was so strong that it even did not spare bigwigs like Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch and five-time chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and former Congress chief minister Amarinder Singh who could not hold on to their respective constituencies of Lambi and Patiala.

Even SAD president Sukhbir Badal, incumbent Congress chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu have lost from their respective constituencies. Later, Sidhu resigned from his post.

“This was not a victory, it was a tsunami that swept away everyone,” said political analyst Jamshid Khan.

AAP’s chief minister-designate Bhagwant Mann, who won with over 50,000 votes from Dhuri, in his victory speech at Sangrur thanked voters for the massive mandate to the party.

”Give me a month and you will start noticing the difference in the [welfare] delivery system,” said Mann, who announced that he would take oath as Punjab’s 17th chief minister from Khatkar Kalan, the birthplace of Shaheed Bhagat Singh in Nawanshahr district.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal and AAPs Chief Ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann flash the victory sign, as the party heads to a landslide victory in Punjab Assembly elections. Photo: PTI

He said his first act as chief minister will be to provide employment to the youth. His government will operate from villages, not in big mansions, he said – in a dig at Amarinder Singh and the Badals. Mann said earlier people used to knock on officers’ gates. Now, officers will come to people’s doorsteps in villages.

Addressing supporters in Delhi, AAP national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said, “The Aam Aadmi (common man) has defeated Charanjit Singh Channi, Navjot Sidhu, Amarinder Singh, Bikram Majithia… Don’t upset the common man, or even the most powerful will be shown the door.” Mr Kejriwal said “But such a huge majority – we feel scared too. We cannot be arrogant.”

Kejriwal quoted legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh as saying that without a change in the system, nothing could change.

Traditional parties decimated

Even as votes are still being counted, AAP candidates have been winning convincingly from all regions of Punjab: Malwa, Majha and Doaba. Even cities like Amritsar and Ludhiana, where once Congress and BJP had a stronghold, have shifted to AAP candidates.

Punjab’s electoral outcome is historic in the sense that it is the first time that a third front is set to form the government in Punjab, where SAD and Congress ruled alternatively since the state’s reorganisation in 1966.

Not this time, however. The biggest upset of the election is the rout of the incumbent Congress. The party that won convincingly in 2017 is down to 18 from 77 seats it won last time.

Incumbent chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, on whom Congress placed a big bet and hoped he would consolidate Dalit votes, lost both his seats: Chamkaur Sahib in Ropar district as well as Bhadaur in Barnala district.

As many as eight cabinet ministers in the Congress government were badly lost. Among them, former finance minister Manpreet Badal was defeated by more than 60,000 votes. Deputy chief minister O.P. Soni (Amritsar central) too could not survive.

Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa (Dera Baba Nanak), Tript Singh Bajwa, Rana Gurjeet Singh (Kapurthala), Raja Warring and Aruna Chaudhary (Dina Nagar) are among a handful of Congress ministers surviving the AAP wave.

Also read: Punjab: Aam Aadmi Party Marks a Historic Electoral Victory

The situation of Congress is such that Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu lost from Amritsar East as political novice Jeewan Jyot Kaur of the AAP has emerged victorious.

The results come as a major embarrassment to Punjab’s grand old party, SAD, which could not even reach a double-digit mark. The BJP-Amarinder Singh alliance too did not work at all.

The scale of AAP’s win could be gauged from the fact that despite a five-cornered contest, AAP got 42% vote share, 17% higher than the 2017 election.

In the Malwa region, it got a huge mandate with over 47% votes going to AAP’s kitty.  The party swept the Maja region also, by winning 17 out of 25 seats. As far as the Doaba region is concerned, AAP couldn’t perform well, as it could secure only nine seats out of 23.

With just 22% and 18% vote share, voters have clearly rejected both Congress and SAD. BJP could not get more than 6% vote share despite the energy put in by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Farmers’ outfit Sanyukt Samaj Morach was a complete failure as most of its candidates are likely to forfeit their security deposit.

Dera factor, polarisation failed 

As AAP is set to form a government in Punjab with a massive mandate, it is clear that the rallying against AAP did not sway voters.

“It is the anger against the traditional parties that has been prime factor for AAP’s landslide victory in Punjab,” said political analyst Jamshid Khan.

A few days before Punjab went to polls, Baba Ram Rahim of Dera Sacha Sauda of Haryana’s Sirsa, a man convicted of rape and other crimes, was released on parole by the BJP-ruled government in neighbouring Haryana. It was, as many believed, a hidden agenda for both BJP and SAD to sway voters in Punjab’s Malwa region where the Dera has sizeable followers.

But with AAP sweeping the Malwa area, which has 69 out of 117 seats in Punjab, it is clear that Dera factor did not work at all. There was another ploy to create trouble for AAP when the prime minister released a picture with vastly respected Dera Beas chief just a day before Punjab voters lined up outside the polling booths. Dera Beas is believed to have a huge following among Punjab’s upper classes. Again, this failed to convince voters.

AAP candidate from Patiala constituency Ajitpal Singh Kohli, who is contesting against former Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh, celebrates his partys lead during counting day of Punjab Assembly elections, in Patiala district, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Photo: PTI.

Two days before the polling on February 20, there was a clear attempt to polarise the decisive Hindu vote bank, with former AAP leader Kumar Vishwas giving media interviews accusing AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal of supporting separatists during the 2017 polls.

Even Congress leader Rahul Gandhi played along on the issue, seeking answers from Kejriwal on the allegations that his former colleague Kumar Vishwas had raised in a media interview on February 17.

Later Vishwas got Y+ security from the Union government. As AAP is leading in urban seats in major cities of Punjab, including Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, the writing is clear on the wall that the polarisation attempts did not work.

AAP’s winning strategies

The first major reason for AAP’s win is the anger against traditional parties, particularly SAD and Congress, which ruled Punjab alternatively since the state’s reorganisation.

People of Punjab were unhappy for long with the performance of traditional parties as they were blamed for the rise in the drug menace and mafia raj in Punjab.

This narrative deepened due to the failure of the incumbent Congress government, which could not live up its promises to eradicate the drug problem as well as ending the sand and liquor mafia in Punjab.

Jamshid Khan told The Wire that the 2022 election outcome reflected the sheer disappointment of people towards traditional parties. But the task for the new government will not be easy since Punjab’s issues have become quite complex.

Also read: Assembly Election Results Live: BJP Set to Win 4 States, AAP Sweeps Punjab

The second major reason was the impact of the farmers’ movement. The year-long movement of which Punjab was epicentre made voters more politically independent and aware. This helped push the badlav (change) narrative that loomed over Punjab in the run up to the election.

The internal rift in Congress too played a huge role in turning AAP’s fortunes. The unceremonious exit of Amarinder Singh at the fag end of Congress rule in Punjab, and then intense fight between Channi and Sidhu, it appeared, was a key reason for the rise in AAP’s popularity.

Then, the verdict also confirmed that odds against SAD were too high for the party to come out of the humiliating defeat of the previous election. With another defeat, the leadership of the SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal is set to come under the scanner.

AAP’s positive campaign too played a major role in swaying the voters. The party appeared weak in the initial phase of campaigning, as more than half of its MLAs deserted the party to join the Congress.

But thanks to its aggressive campaign both online and offline, it soon caught on with the public mood of ‘badlav’.

Its campaign slogan ‘Ik Mauka AAP Nu’ became a slogan of the election. The move by the party to announce chief ministerial face a month before the voting too went in its favour.

The focus on the AAP on the ‘Delhi model of governance’ also seems to have resonated with voters. Voters believed AAP could deliver on the health and education front, besides taming the mafia raj as it promised before the election.

Besides, AAP wooed voters with various popular schemes including Rs 1,000 per month to all women in Punjab above 18 years of age and 300 units per month of free electricity.

Many also see it as an end of feudal politics in Punjab. Political analyst Ashutosh Kumar said that there would be a rise of new politics in Punjab, with leaders coming from the ground making it to the top.

Punjab Election 2022: Villages Push ‘Badlav’ Narrative; No Clear Frontrunner in Cities

For any party to form government in Punjab, performance in both urban and rural areas is must, say political experts.

Chandigarh: Rajat Sood, an industrialist from Ludhiana, Punjab’s largest city, is not keen to experiment with his vote in this election. Taking a dig at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), he says he is not happy with the party’s unnecessary focus on ‘freebie politics’.

“It is the industry that suffers most when the government makes unproductive use of taxes,” he said.

Rahul Verma, another businessman from Ludhiana, is also unimpressed with AAP, saying that the party’s selection of candidates was poor in Ludhiana city.

Ram Pratap, former president of the Ludhiana hosiery workers union, has a different take. AAP is in a close contest in all seats in Ludhiana and Pratap says that since the city has a sizable population of migrant voters, AAP candidates are benefiting from Congress chief ministerial candidate Charanjit Singh Channi’s pejorative ‘UP, Bihar ke bhaiye’ remark.

Manoj Das, a banker from the same city, says that while AAP’s slogan is catchy, in the end it is the candidate who is important.

Planning to vote NOTA (‘none of the above’; an option that enables voters not to vote for any candidate), he says he is disappointed by the candidates fielded by most parties, leaving him confused. “I am unable to make up my mind,” he said

While rural Punjab is vocal about its demand for ‘badlav‘ (change), which many believe is going in favour of AAP, urban voters appear divided.

Also read: Is It the Anger Against Traditional Parties That Is Pushing AAP in Punjab?

Of the state’s 117 assembly constituencies, 32-35 are purely urban, where the business community and factory labourers, who are predominantly Hindus, impact the outcome most.

In the past, Punjab’s trading class has vacillated between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress. This time, however, there has been a serious effort by AAP supremo and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, to secure the votes of this section.

Kejriwal held road shows in Amritsar on February 14, Ludhiana and Jalandhar on February 16, and ended his poll campaign in Punjab on February 18 with an impressive show in Abohar, another urban seat. Even the Amritsar mayor joined the AAP two days ago, in a major jolt to the Congress.

In a press conference in Ludhiana, he even requested Punjab’s trading class to give AAP a chance, giving the example of Delhi where he claimed that the capital’s trading community, which earlier supported either the Congress or the BJP, has been with AAP for the last seven years due to the parties good policies.

However, no one party has been emerging as a clear frontrunner in Punjab’s cities.

The situation becomes further complicated with the BJP, which has predominantly been an urban voters’ party in Punjab, gaining ground after a series of big rallies by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Businessman and BJP supported from Ludhiana Bobby Jindal told The Wire that the BJP is now in the running for at least three seats in Ludhiana, after Modi’s rallies.

He said people in Punjab have not been averse to the BJP in the past; it is just that the farmers’ protest created resentment against the party. But, according to him, the BJP has done well by giving Sikhs huge political representation within the party in Punjab.

“The situation would have been different for the BJP in Punjab if it had fought the 2017 elections independently. It would have ruled out Navjot Singh Sidhu leaving the party as well, who basically left the BJP because of the party’s alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD),” Jindal said.

Also read: Ten Constituencies to Watch Out For as Punjab Votes

The situation is perplexing in other big cities too. For instance, a journalist with an English daily in Amritsar city (which has a total of five assembly constituencies) told The Wire that there is no clear wave for any particular party in the city; the support base is divided. There is a close contest in some seats and who will win can’t be known until the ballot boxes are opened on counting day, March 10.

Vineet Arora, a local trader from Amritsar, said that AAP appears to be in a winning position in no more than one or two seats in Amritsar city.

“There is no reason per se, except there is no acceptability of the party as of now among urban voters,” he added

Well-known Amritsar trader B.K. Bajaj, who deals in the import and export of dry fruits, told The Wire that he has been voting in the city for the last 50 years, but has never seen such confusion. In every seat, there is at least a triangular contest. Which way the election will swing is difficult to predict, he said.

Jamshid Khan, a political expert from Punjabi University, Patiala, told The Wire that for any party to form government in Punjab, it must perform well in both the urban and rural segments.

If there is a hung house, one can’t predict who will form the government. In 1967, the Akali Dal got just 24 seats while Congress had 48 seats. But all opposition parties came together and formed an anti-Congress government

Former BBC reporter Aarish Chhabra told The Wire that the entire election in Punjab has come down to the preference of urban voters. The villages have, more or less, consolidated behind the idea of a nava tajarba (new experiment). The situation, therefore, is very interesting.

Memes, Catchy Phrases and Quirky Slogans Set the Stage as Punjab Polls Inch Closer

In the run-up to the voting day on February 20, political parties have been only focusing on holding big rallies and building the poll mood in their favour through social media.

Chandigarh: With less than a day to go for the February 20 polls, political parties in Punjab are pulling out all the stops.

From Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosting prominent Sikh leaders at his residence in Delhi on the last date of campaigning on Friday, February 18, to Congress’s Charanjit Singh Channi writing to the Centre to inquire into allegations against AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal supporting separatists during 2017 polls, the desperation is fully visible ahead of the crucial vote.

Even Congress leader Rahul Gandhi played along on this issue, seeking answers from Kejriwal on the allegations that his former colleague Kumar Vishwas raised in a media interview on Thursday, February 17.

If this was not enough, there was another row over Channi’s pejorative “UP, Bihar Ke Bhaiya” remark that he later clarified was used for Kejriwal.

Punjab’s poll narrative took a sharp turn with the political class creating a perception that traders are living in fear, or the presence of Sikh radicalism.

Notwithstanding the last-minute political theatrics, each political party has carefully developed its poll strategy that began early January with a social media fight and finally ended with big rallies, and roadshows.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were early birds to hit the ground in the poll-bound state followed by Congress. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led front was the last one to pick up, even though their leaders still faced farmers’ wrath at many places. 

Interestingly, the belated action of the saffron party came right from the top.

Apart from addressing rallies in Jalandhar, Pathankot and Fazilka between February 14 and February 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a picture of his meeting with Baba Gurvinder Singh Dhillion, chief of Radha Soami Satsang Dera, which has a sizeable number of followers in Punjab.

Then, Union home minister Amit Shah called upon Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpeet Singh and held a closed-door meeting.

The BJP-led Haryana government’s grant of furlough to rape and murder convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim of Dera Sacha Sauda – who also has a large follower base in Punjab’s Malwa region – too arrived at an opportune moment.

Political messaging of all parties too differed in tone and tenor in the past few weeks, even though the large narrative of ‘change’ has caught public frenzy in Punjab.

If AAP’s Kejriwal sought one chance from voters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called AAP photocopy of Congress and said only BJP could take care of the border state.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked voters not to experiment and choose Congress again. On the other hand, SAD’s Parkash Singh Badal trained guns at both Congress and AAP, saying only their own party could take care of Punjab.

Catchy slogans and memes

Ever since the poll campaign hit Punjab, it is interesting to note how slogans of each of the political parties kept the public entertained.

Also read: Punjab Polls: Is Ex-AAP MP Dharamvira Gandhi Moving Towards Congress?

As the Election Commission banned physical rallies due to COVID-19 restrictions in the early phase of the election, political parties invested a lot of their time and energy into digital campaigning on social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, videos, live webcasting and even memes.

One slogan that caught public attention in this election was AAP’s ‘Ik Mauka AAP Nu’, asking voters in Punjab to vote for badlav (change).

In response to AAP’s poll slogan, SAD, Punjab’s oldest political party that turned 100 last year, started an online campaign, Punjab First and ‘10 saal vikas de, vishwas de’, reminding voters of the development works in Punjab under its previous regime.

Congress initially had a lacklustre online presence but once it selected Charanjit Singh Channi as its chief ministerial candidate, it positioned its narrative around ‘Congress Dubara’ (Congress again) and ‘Sadda Channi Sadda CM‘ (Our Channi our CM), focusing on 111 days of the Channi government.

Later it also released “Ghar Ghar challi gall, Channi karda masle hal” (There is a buzz in every household that Channi solves all problems) and ‘Congress Hi Aayegi’.

In response to all, the BJP-led front released the poll slogan ‘Nawan Punjab Bhajpa De Naal’ (New Punjab is with BJP).

Traditionally, the BJP in Punjab was a party of urban Hindus and was a junior partner of SAD for over 25 years before the passage of farm laws when both parties parted ways.

This time, it fielded Sikh candidates in over 25 seats as the party is contesting three times more seats than it used to contest here.

It has fielded candidates in 73 constituencies while Captain Amarinder’s Punjab Lok Congress and Sukhbir Dhindsa’s SAD (Sanyukt), a faction of Congress and Akali Dal, which is contesting the remaining 44 seats.

If slogans were not enough, the meme fight between political parties grooved the audience.

It all started with AAP’s meme, taking on Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and chief minister Channi with the song ‘Dil da mamla hai dilbar’ in the background, soon after the announcement of its candidate Bhagwant Mann.

Bhagwant Mann, AAP’s chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Punjab assembly elections, greets the public during a roadshow, in Attari, Friday, February 11, 2022. Photo: PTI

In response, Congress released a meme based on a superhero film in which Channi, Sidhu, Sunil Jakhar and Rahul Gandhi are shown as different characters.

Channi as Thor Odin rises high into the sky with the background voice of ‘Hun ni Bach de Tussi Kithe hai Kejriwal, Modi’ (You could not be saved now, where are Kejriwal and Modi.)

Meanwhile, the farmers’ party, Sanyukt Samaj Manch (SSM), has still not received the public’s acceptance on the ground.

Clash of identities, polarisation and popularism

After the year-long farmers’ protest, it was perceived that the focus of the election will be centred around these issues. However, the latest election has been confined to identity and caste politics.

This was sharpened after Congress fielded Channi, Punjab’s first Dalit chief minister, as its candidate, in an attempt to consolidate the Dalit vote bank in the state.

In response, AAP has been making repeated attempts to woo Punjabi Hindus by questioning Congress’s move to dump its Hindu leader Sunil Jakhar.

Also read: From Parody to Politics: The Journey of Bhagwant Mann, AAP’s CM Face in Punjab

Akali Dal, on the other hand, has smartly positioned itself as a party of both Hindus and Sikhs, yet it also remained stuck to its tried and tested Sikh ‘Panth’ politics in order to retain its peasantry vote bank.

The BJP has not yet declared its chief ministerial candidate and is seeking votes on Modi’s name.

Jalandhar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves at the people during a public rally, ahead of Punjab Assembly elections, in Jalandhar, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. Photo: PTI

Separately, gurus and saints heading different deras also became important after political leaders made beelines for them.

Channi spent a night and slept on the floor at Dera Sachkhand at Ballan near Jalandhar, giving out a message to its followers, especially Dalits. Before Modi shared a picture with the chief of Radha Soami Satsang, AAP co-convener of Punjab Raghav Chadha spent a day at the Dera headquarter in Beas. Dera Sacha Sauda of Sirsa in Haryana has a significant influence in the Malwa region suddenly came into the poll limelight after its convicted chief was released on furlough just ahead of polls. The region has 69 of the 117 seats in the assembly.

Only last month, candidates of different political parties took part at Salabatpura, which is the biggest centre of the dera in Bathinda district.

Amid all this, the parties did not even release poll manifestos on time.

While Congress released its vision document on the last day of the campaign on Friday, February 18, SAD released it only on February 15, five days before voting. BJP’s manifesto only came two days ago, February 13.

According to a political analyst, a delayed release of the poll manifestos suited parties, given their track record of governance and performance in previous regimes.

In BJP’s and SAD’s poll manifesto, the focus has been to entice voters with freebies like free electricity and cheap loans to youngsters.

On the other hand, Congress promised one lakh government jobs, Rs 1100 per month to women, and eight free cooking gas cylinders per year and promised to end liquor, and sand mafia.

Earlier AAP promised several guarantees, promising Rs 1,000 per month to every woman above 18 years of age, free electricity up to 300 units.

Also read: Shorn of Sad Alliance, BJP Is Cautiously Injecting Hindutva Narrative in Punjab

More candidates

In 2017, a total of 1,145 candidates were in the fray for 117 assembly seats. This time, a total of 1,304 candidates are in the contest that including two transgenders and 93 women, while 1,209 candidates are men.

Among all the candidates, nine candidates are 25 and six candidates are above 80, of which 94-year-old Parkash Singh Badal contesting from Lambi in Sri Muktsar Sahib is the oldest one.

There are a total of 21.4 million registered voters in the state for these elections, out of which 11.2 million are male, 10.2 million female while five million voters are above the age of 80.

The Election Commission has set up 24,740 polling stations in 14,684 locations, out of which 2,013 polling stations on 1,051 polling locations are identified as critical. All polling booths will be covered under webcasting on polling day.

Punjab Polls: Eminent Persons Urge Voters to Elect Sanyukt Samaj Morcha Candidates

A vote for the farmers’ political outfit represents a “true memorial to more than 700 farmers who died” during the year-long farmers’ protest, they said.

New Delhi: With Punjab set to vote on Sunday, February 20, 46 eminent Punjabis from various fields have urged the electorate of the state to vote in favour of candidates fielded by Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM), the political outfit of farmers.

In an open letter addressed to voters of Punjab, they alleged that Punjab had seen destruction due to the misrule of various political leaders and parties. Among the signatories of the letter are Swarn Singh Boparai, former secretary, Government of India, and vice-chancellor; Dr. Pritam Singh, Professor Emeritus, Oxford Brookes, Business School, Oxford, UK; A.S. Oberoi, formerly with the International Labour Organization; Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, hurdler (Olympian), Asian Decathlon Gold Medallist; Gurbir Singh Sandhu, Shooter (Olympian). The signatories are drawn from various fields of civil service, military, academia, banking, sports, law, medicine, agriculture, social activism, among others.

The signatories of the letter said, “Our political leaders have turned this once beautiful land into a morass. For the last two or three decades, political actors have so viciously exploited its land, labour and resources that its inhabitants have plunged into the depths of depression.”

Stating that the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha alone can bring a “glow to the face of Punjab and recapture the spirit of optimism (Charhdi Kala)”, they said, ” These are our people. They represent our ability to recover our glory. They have borne the hardships of many months of extreme heat and cold during the glorious Kisan Morcha at Delhi borders.”

The signatories said a vote for Sanyukt Samaj Morcha represents a “true memorial to more than 700 farmers who died for all of us during the year-long Kisan Morcha”.

The SSM has emerged from the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of 32 farmers’ unions, which spearheaded the year-long farmers’ protest for the repeal of the three farm laws. It is contesting polls in alliance with the Sanyukt Sangharsh Party (SSP), headed by Gurnam Singh Chaduni of the BKU Chaduni union. While SSM has fielded 105 candidates, the SSP has given tickets to 10 candidates. Punjab has a total of 117 assembly seats.

Reproduced below is the open letter

§

An appeal to the people of Punjab

Dear People of Punjab,

With ardent hopes for a bright future, we, the undersigned, are making this appeal with utmost humility in our hearts.

The Punjab, which in our historical memories was celebrated as Khiria Phul Gulab da (a blooming rose), has now sadly withered. The story of Punjab’s destruction has been written mainly by people who call themselves Punjabis. For the last two or three decades, political actors have so viciously exploited its land, labour and resources that its inhabitants have plunged into the depths of depression. The people of the future – our daughters and sons – are abandoning this land to exile themselves far away. Our political leaders have turned this once beautiful land into a morass.

Let us make a brave effort to recapture our spirit of optimism (Charhdi Kala). Let us try to bring a glow to the face of Punjab. Let us extend wholehearted support in the coming Assembly elections to the candidates of Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM), who have shown their mettle as dedicated, sincere and thoughtful people. Let us work round the clock for the remaining days before 20th February to ensure their victory. These are our people. They represent our ability to recover our glory. They have borne the hardships of many months of extreme heat and cold during the glorious Kisan Morcha at Delhi borders. With their humility, resilience, patience and wisdom, they have made history and captured the imagination of thinkers and political activists all over the world. Following the philosophy of Sarbat da bhala (collective welfare of all), they have climbed new heights of human abilities and endeavours.

By advancing on the path broken by these valiant warriors, let us script a new politics of equality and solidarity. With folded hands, we appeal to all farm leaders, farmers’ unions, working class leaders and trade unions, employees and their organisations, traders and their associations, shop keepers and attendants, every mother, father, sister, brother, daughter, son and student to support and vote for SSM candidates in every constituency. Those who fought for the people of the Punjab are the only ones who deserve to lead the next elected government on the path of policies and governance for the people.

This will be a true memorial to the more than 700 farmers who died for all of us during the year-long Kisan Morcha. When you come to press the button to vote, please remember those martyrs and let them lead you to the correct choice.

We pray for the Punjab and Punjabiyat.

Satwant Boparai

Kamal Bindra, w/o I.J.S Bindra, former Additional Chief Secretary, Punjab

Mohanjit Kaur Sidhu d/o late Justice Ranjit Singh Sarkaria of the Supreme Court

Ratwinder Brar, w/o Gurdev Singh Brar, former IAS officer

Baljeet Boparai w/o Air Commodore I.J.S Boparai

Prof Dr Sunita Dhir, film actress and Dean Punjabi University, Patiala

Brig Savinder Randhawa (retd)

Dr Rani D Chowdhury, Operational Director, Administration of Children Services, New York

Harbans Kaur Bahia, Ex-Managing Director, State Cooperative Bank, Punjab

 

Swarn Singh Boparai, former Secretary, Govt. of India & Vice Chancellor

Dr Pritam Singh, Professor Emeritus, Oxford Brookes, Business School, Oxford, UK

A.S Oberoi, formerly of International Labour Organization

Kulbir Singh Sidhu, former Divisional Commissioner

Dr Harkesh Singh Sidhu, former Deputy Commissioner

G.K.Singh Dhaliwal, former Deputy Commissioner

Gurmit Singh s/o the late Lachhman Singh Gill, Chief Minister of Punjab

Balwinder Singh, former Secretary to Punjab Government

 

Brig Harwant Singh (retd),

Brig Inder Mohan Singh (retd),

Brig Hardip Singh Cheema (retd),

Brig J.S. Sidhu (retd),

Brig B.S. Sandhu (retd),

Col Sujan Singh Kular, (retd),

Lt Col. K.S. Brar (retd) and Capt.

Birinder Singh Kahlon (retd).

 

Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, Hurdler (Olympian), Asian Decathlon Gold Medallist,

Gurbir Singh Sandhu, Shooter (Olympian)

Amandeep Johal, National Golf Player

Prof Dr Sucha Singh Gill (retd), Punjabi University, Patiala

Prof Dr Baldev Singh Sandhu, former Registrar, Punjabi University, Patiala

Prof. Dr. Pushpinder Singh Gill, Dean, Punjabi University, Patiala (retd)

Dr Prof N.S. Attri, Punjabi University, Patiala (retd)

Prof Ranjit Singh Ghuman, Professor of Economics (retd), Punjabi University, Patiala

Prof. Dr. H.S. Rose, Punjabi University, Patiala, (retd)

Prof Avtar Singh Bhullar (retd), Thapar University, Patiala

Dr Raj Kumar Sharma, Winner, Maulana Azad Trophy for Punjabi University, Patiala (retd)

Prof Indris Mohammad, Punjabi University, Patiala (retd)

Ranjit Singh Deputy Director, Horticulture, Punjab (retd)

Dr. Gurmohan Singh Sandhu, Nephrologist

Amarjit Singh Sidhu, former IG, CRPF (retd)

Dr. Baljit Singh Sidhu, MD, FACS, Virginia, USA

Santokh Singh Bhullar, Sr Advocate, New Zealand

Balwinder Singh Gill, Chief Manager (retd), Punjab National Bank

Jaspal Singh Kala Bakra, Manager (retd), Punjab and Sind Bank

Sanjeev Banga, Import-Export Business, UK, Indonesia

Darshan Singh Kotkapura, former Coach and Player Basketball

Punjab: ‘Don’t Get Distracted, Vote for Jobs, Education,’ Say Youth From Kanshi Ram’s Village

BSP founder Kanshi Ram’s sister, Swaran Kaur, said that the biggest problem with Dalit voters has been that they are easily distracted by free rations and petty cash subsidies.

Pirthipur, Anandpur Sahib: From Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking part in a kirtan in Delhi to Rahul Gandhi serving langer in Varanasi, Dalit icon and mystic poet Guru Ravidas’s birth anniversary has never before received this degree of attention from the political class.

This attention is all thanks to the crucial February 20 assembly election in Punjab where the state’s Dalit voters – who make up one-third of the state’s population – have become crucial for any party hoping to form government.

Dalit politics in the poll-bound states of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh were brought into spotlight by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) founder Kanshi Ram, who was the biggest mobiliser of Dalits in independent India. Days ahead of voting, his maternal home in the Pirthipur village in the Anandpur Sahib tehsil of Punjab’s Ropar district, where he was born and raised, has been at the centre of poll activities.

Just outside the entrance of the house, a poster of Nitin Nanda, the BSP candidate from the Anandpur Sahib constituency, is visible. Inside, Congress workers can be seen canvassing next to a well-built marble statue of Ram and his sister, 75-year-old Swaran Kaur, was hearing them patiently.

“It was commendable for Congress to make a Dalit Punjab’s chief minister, something that Kanshi Ram always wanted after UP,” Kaur told them. “But it will not do any good to us if our people will not get good education and health facilities and better employment opportunities.”

Swaran Kaur in front of her brother’s statue in her Pirthipur home. Photo: Vivek Gupta.

Kaur later told The Wire that the biggest problem with Dalits is that are easily distracted by offers of free ration or petty cash subsidies.

She said her brother used to say that the only way to uplift Dalits is to ensure they receive good educations and to create suitable employment opportunities. If they are educated and have jobs, they will themselves buy ration from the market and take care of their families.

“But the problem is that political parties have always used Dalits as vote bank politics and hardly worked for their upliftment. The party founded by my brother was no different and, in fact, is now monopolised by those having deep pockets,” she said.

She went on to say that in Punjab, the level of education among the Dalit youth is very poor. Many of them failed to get higher education due to funding issues and even those who managed to study are struggling.

“Rich people may still have the option to send their kids abroad. But what option do unemployed and poor Dalit youth have? Many of them are falling into drugs and destroying their lives,” she said.

Also read: Punjab Elections: Allegations of ‘Dynasty Politics’ Continue to Dog Badals and SAD

Speaking about the February 20 polls, Kaur said that all parties are making all-out efforts to secure Dalit votes. If the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) offered them Rs 1,000, another party offered double; the Congress made Charanjit Singh Channi the chief minister.

“My brother had already made Dalits MLAs and chief ministers during his lifetime. All we want is better education and employment opportunities for our brothers and sisters. Everything else is mere drama,” she added.

Om Prakash, another villager, said that while Kanshi Ram was a social reformer deeply influenced by B.R. Amdedkar’s ideas who built a party for the poor, that party no longer exists. Poor job-seekers, according to Prakash, are fighting their battles all alone.

“In every election, Dalits are enticed with cash subsidies. Once government is formed, they are ignored,” he said

Sukhwinder Singh, who lives opposite Kanshi Ram’s house, said that after becoming chief minister last September, Channi made several announcements for Dalits and the poor, including the waiving off of pending electricity bills, but the impact of the same is yet to be seen on ground. “Political tokenism has never improved the lives of the poor,” Singh said.

There is a dichotomy in terms of the social and economic conditions of Dalits in Punjab. Dalits of the Doaba region are better placed due to their overseas exposure while their counterparts in Malwa are very poor and survive as daily-wage labourers.

In this election, there is a clear attempt by political parties to consolidate all sub-castes to their favour, but the on-ground situation appears different.

The Wire met a group of Dalit youths from the Daddi village near Anandpur Sahib. Among them was Daljit Singh, who told The Wire that just because one party has made a Dalit the chief minister, that does not mean that all Dalits should rally behind him.

“For how long should we remain influenced by caste factors?” He asked. “I voted for Congress in the last election but I am disappointed with their performance.”

The group of Dalit youths from Daddi village. Photo: VIvek Gupta.

Gurvinder Singh, another member of the Daddi group, said that the youth is seeking change. “Visit the government school in our village. The teaching staff is short, facilities nil,” he said. “Kids of politicians study in big schools. But schools where the poor study are left in a lurch.”

The literacy rate among Scheduled Castes (SC) in Punjab is 65%, according to the 2011 census; lower than the state’s overall literacy rate of 76% and the national average of SCs at 66%.

“Higher education is very expensive. I could not pursue it due to financial problems,” Gurdeep Singh, of the same village, said.

He said even he could not avail of a grant under the post matric scholarship scheme for SC students in Punjab as it remained a non-starter during Congress rule.

“But politicians are busy dividing the communities on the basis of caste and religion. Dalit issues collectively haven’t been given precedence,” he said.

Punjab: A Look at Influential Deras and Their Roles in Elections

Ahead of the polls, Dera Sacha Sauda’s infamous chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was released on furlough, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the head of another influential dera.

Jalandhar: As Punjab heads for assembly elections on February 20, two developments in the past fortnight have once again highlighted the influential role played by ‘deras’ or religious centres that are headed by a preacher, who generally teaches philosophy, religion and way of life.

The first development was the 21-day parole granted to Dera Sacha Sauda’s infamous chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. The second was the head of the Dera Radha Soami Satsang Beas, Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon, meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13. Both these deras enjoy considerable sway over people.

There are many more deras in Punjab, but some prominent ones always come into the picture whenever elections are around the corner. Since a large number of people follow deras, politicians from across parties also visit them to seek support, a testament to their clout. The Wire traces some influential deras in Punjab.

Dera Sacha Sauda

The Haryana-based Dera Sacha Sauda was thrown into the spotlight in August 2017, when its chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted of rape. His followers then went on the rampage in Punjab and Haryana, leading to the death of 38 people.

The dera’s political wing has a history of backing different parties. While its supporters include people from different sections of the society, their largest support base is from Dalits. Though the dera is based in Sirsa, Haryana, it wields influence in Punjab’s Malwa belt. This region of Punjab is the largest and accounts for 69 of the state’s 117 assembly seats.

Among the key districts where the dera enjoys a strong base are Bathinda, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Sangrur, Muktsar and Mansa.

Earlier, the SAD, the BJP and the Congress had taken support from the dera, but its alleged involvement in the 2015 sacrilege case – apart from Ram Rahim’s conviction – has meant that parties are treading cautiously ahead of this election. Even the dera is yet to announce its support for any party.

In the 2002 assembly polls, the dera supported Amarinder Singh, after which the Congress came to power. In 2007, the dera again supported the Congress but the party lost the polls. During the 2012 polls, the dera supported individual candidates instead of a party and threw its weight behind the SAD-BJP in 2017, but the alliance was voted out.

Ritin Khanna, the executive editor of Uttam Hindu, said if the dera decides to support the BJP, it could prove to be a gamechanger. “On average, it commands the support of at least 15,000 people in 30 seats of Malwa. As we have a multi-cornered contest in Punjab, these votes can play a crucial role. Moreover, the BJP’s surveys in Malwa have found that dera votes can boost its chances in other constituencies of Punjab too,” Khanna said.

However, the Dera Sacha Sauda’s political committee member Ram Singh Insan said, “We have not taken any decision on this issue. All politicians visit our dera, as they have every right to seek votes.”

A dera follower, Jyoti Joram (20) from Bathinda, said, “We will vote as per the directions of the dera authorities. It is our good luck to fulfil the guruji’s command.”

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Dera Radha Soami Satsang Beas, Amritsar

An ‘apolitical’ organisation, Dera Radha Saomi Satsang Beas in Amritsar suddenly made headlines after its chief Gurinder Singh Dhillon met Modi in Delhi on February 13, leading to speculations in the poll-bound state.

Dhillon also met Union home minister Amit Shah on February 16 at the dera headquarters in Beas. A photo of the meeting was tweeted by Shah.

Earlier, in December 2021, the dera chief met CM Charanjit Singh Channi at his house. The meeting led to speculation as it came a day after an FIR was lodged against SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia. His wife Ganieve Kaur is a distant relative of the dera head.

As per a book published by the dera titled Equilibrium of Love, it has 5,000 branches across the country. It also has branches in 90 countries. A prominent dera, its followers come from all religions, castes and from all walks of life, including retired Army officers, bureaucrats, politicians, actors, singers, writers, NRIs, farmers and labourers. Even Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor is a follower of the dera. His father Pankaj Kapur’s voiceovers have been used in many short films on social issues, which are played during satsangs.

A dera functionary, requesting anonymity, said, “The dera chief’s meeting with PM Modi has raised eyebrows because ideally, dignitaries visit the dera and attend the satsang, and take langar. But the meeting with the PM was outside the dera in Delhi. We have learnt that a senior official of the dera, who is reportedly close to Modi, was behind this meeting.”

The dera functionary said that Rahul Gandhi had visited the dera in early 2020 and stayed for two days on the premises. “Even during the 2017 assembly and 2019 parliamentary polls, a section of dera functionaries supported select candidates in the state. They do play an active role in elections but not overtly,” the official said.

Dera Sachkhand Ballan, Jalandhar

The Dera Sachkhand Ballan in Jalandhar is a revered place of the Addharmi or Ravidassia community of the Doaba region of Punjab, which covers Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr districts.

The dera is headed by Sant Niranjan Dass and has followers across Punjab and even abroad. Such is the political prominence of this dera that before elections, all politicians come to pay obeisance.

It hogged the limelight when the then head of the dera, Sant Ramanand, was killed in Vienna, Austria in May 2009, leading to violence by agitated followers across Punjab, particularly in Doaba.

CM Channi, who hails from the Ramdasia Sikh community, stayed overnight at the dera in January. This was seen as an attempt to consolidate Dalit votes.

Charanjit Singh Channi with Satguru Swami Niranjan Dass Maharaj at Dera Sachkhand Ballan Jalandhar. Photo: Twitter

Not many people know that the Guru Ravidass temple in Benaras, Uttar Pradesh was constructed by the Dera Ballan in 1965.

Baldev Kumar, a dera follower from Nawanshahr district, said “The dera authorities have never told us whom to vote for. Neither have they interfered nor do they have any political interests. All they want is the upliftment and empowerment of Dalits.”

Jagdev Jassal, another follower from Sham Chaurasi in the Hoshiarpur district, said, “We have never been controlled by the dera on any issue.”

Dera spokesperson Sat Paul Virdi said, “We have never asked people to vote for any party. It is purely their decision.”

Divya Jyoti Jagran Sansthan, Nurmahal, Jalandhar

The Divya Jyoti Jagran Sansthan situated at Nurmahal in Jalandhar came to the limelight after its founder-head Ashutosh Maharaj was found dead under mysterious circumstances on the dera premises on January 30, 2014.

Following his death, its functionaries claimed that Ashutosh Maharaj had gone into “samadhi” and was not dead. The incident had led to major controversy but the sansthan authorities remained firm on their stand.

Until now, nobody has seen the body of Ashutosh Maharaj in ‘samadhi’, which is kept in a freezer. The dera authorities claim that Ashutosh will come out of samadhi soon. Post this incident, the then SAD-BJP government had named a village, ‘Divya Gram’, after the sect.

Despite a lot of pressure for investigation, the government has played safe and went in sync with the dera authorities’ claim. The dera is based on Hindu religion and philosophy and holds satsangs on Sundays and important days. It is usually flocked by politicians.

Swami Vishalanand, a functionary of the sansthan, said, “We have a neutral and non-political stand on elections. As per our head Ashutosh Maharaj, voting is the right of a voter and they are free to cast votes as per their liking.”

‘Fake Nationalism, Failed Foreign Policy’: Manmohan Singh Slams PM Modi

With assembly polls in Punjab slated for February 20, the former prime minister released a video message appealing to the electorate in the state to vote for Congress. 

New Delhi: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh has said that the current government is indulging in “fake nationalism” while the country reels under price rise and unemployment.

With assembly polls in the crucial state of Punjab slated for February 20, Singh released a video message on Thursday, February 17, appealing to the electorate in the state to vote for Congress.

Directing his scathing attack at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, “On one hand, people are facing problems of inflation and unemployment, on the other, the present government, in power for the last seven and a half years, rather than admitting its mistakes and rectifying them, is still blaming first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru for people’s problems.”

In a word of advice to his successor, Singh said, “I feel that the prime minister’s position has a special dignity and should not blame history to downplay faults.”

Singh said that the Modi government had been following the “divide-and-rule policy” adopted by the British imperialists. “This government’s fake nationalism is hollow and dangerous. Their nationalism is based on the British policy of divide and rule. Constitutional institutions are being weakened.”

He lamented that there was “selfishness and greed in the government’s economic policy”. “For their selfish interest, they are dividing people and making them fight,” the former prime minister said.

On the issue of Chinese incursions on the India-China border, he said, “This government has also failed on foreign policy. China is sitting at our border and efforts are being made to suppress it (incursions).”

“I hope the prime minister has understood that foreign policy cannot be conducted by forcibly hugging leaders, playing on swings or going for biryani uninvited,” he added.

‘Maligning Punjab and Punjabis’

Cautioning the electorate in Punjab against the “divisive policies” of the BJP, he said the Union government had been trying to “malign Punjab and Punjabis”.

Referring to the alleged security breach that left Prime Minister Modi’s convoy stuck on a flyover in Punjab for 15 minutes because of protesting farmers, he said, “A few days ago, in the name of the prime minister’s security, an attempt was made to defame Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and the people of the state. During the farmers’ agitation, too, an attempt was made to defame Punjab and Punjabiyat. The world salutes the bravery, patriotism and sacrifice of Punjabis, but the NDA government did not talk about any of this. As a true Indian from Punjab, all these things deeply hurt me.”

Reflecting on his 10-year tenure as prime minister, Singh said, “When I was prime minister for 10 years, I spoke through my work. I never let the country lose prestige before the world. I never undermined India’s pride. I am satisfied that I was called ‘Maun Mohan’, and false allegation of corruption was levelled against the government but the nation remembers my good work and the BJP has been exposed.”