Political parties focusing on religion, caste ahead of Punjab elections

Chandigarh: Ahead of the 2022 assembly elections, the political parties in Punjab have focused their attention on religion, castes, and sub-castes to woo the voters of particular communities in their respective fold - oblivious of the fact that exploiting the fault lines will only deepen the divide with time.

Not just the traditional political parties like Indian National Congress, Bhartiya Janta Party, Shiromani Akali Dal (B), but the new entrants like Aam Adami Party or Shiromani Akali Dal- Sayukat are also playing the same vote bank politics.

Insiders in Punjab Congress are of the view that the party has no doubt played its ‘Dalit' trump card ahead of 2022 assembly elections and has taken a lead by appointing Charanjit Singh Channi as chief minister while other political parties have been making announcements and promises to appoint a Dalit as chief minister or deputy chief minister if voted to power.

But the moot question remains whether the Congress will be able to galvanize the Jat votes while contesting the assembly elections under the leadership of Charanjit Singh Channi, a Dalit, especially when the SAD(B) that claims to be the only Panthic party having the support of the majority of Jats and are betting on Dalit votes riding on the support of Bahujan Samaj Party with whom they have stitched an alliance in recent past.

Pressure lies more on the shoulders of disgruntled Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Navjot Singh Sidhu, a Jat Sikh, who had spearheaded the drive to topple the former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s citadel, to repeat the Congress party’s victory in Punjab since he is held responsible for the party’s condition in Punjab.

BJP has nothing much to lose after SAD(B) severing ties with the saffron party in Punjab but it can cause much damage on the political front to other parties and have made its intentions clear with the launch of its poll campaign with a catchphrase ’Nava Punjab Bhajpa Dae Nal”. Believed to have its vote bank spread across urban Hindu Punjab, the BJP is now going all out to woo the Sikh voters in its fold by propagating the opening of Kartarpur Corridor, scrapping of a blacklist of Sikhs living abroad etc.

On the other hand, AAP is trying to make inroads into the vote bank of traditional political parties in Punjab by self-promoting its Delhi model, which the majority of Punjabis are not aware of, and announcing to get the state rid of ‘inspector raj’ and making promises of doling out freebies.

All the political parties have launched multi-pronged strategies in Punjab to woo the voters, making new alliances and underhand promises claiming a thumping victory over the rival political parties.