Multi-cornered fight, Punjab parties edgy

Chandigarh, May 31

As many as 328 candidates will be testing the political waters in Punjab where polling will be held for all its 13 Lok Sabha seats on Saturday. In a one-of-its-kind election, no two parties are in alliance with each other, making it a multi-cornered contest.

Hopefuls bet on…

AAP: Banks on delivery of pre-poll promises like free power, anti-corruption drive

BJP: Hopes for consolidation of non-Jat votes, including Hindus and Dalits

SAD: Focuses on aroused Panthic sentiment, seeks votes on past performance

Cong: Bets on its top leaders in fray; also hopes to capitalise on anti-incumbency

AAP worker shot

• On poll eve, a shooting incident took place in Ajnala
• Bike-borne youths fired at AAP workers; 1 dead, 4 hurt
• Deceased was an aide of AAP’s Amritsar candidate

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP are locked in a tight contest. The BSP too is making a desperate bid to retain its influence among the 34 per cent Dalit voters of the state. Independent candidates like pro-Khalistan activist Amritpal Singh and Sarabjit Singh Khalsa, son of Indira Gandhi assassin Beant Singh, are also making a strong pitch.

This is largely a waveless election, although there have been concerted efforts to polarise votes by the two right wing parties — the BJP and SAD. Both tried to cash in on the religious sentiments of the Hindus and Sikhs, respectively. There have also been attempts to polarise the non-Jat votes (Hindus and Dalits) even as Jat Sikh-dominated farmer unions’ queered the pitch for the BJP by relentlessly refusing its candidates entry to villages over the unfulfilled promise of legal guarantee for MSP and debt waiver. AAP is seeking a mandate on the delivery of its pre-poll promises made in the run up to the 2022 state Assembly elections. The Congress seems to be on the rebound having fielded its top guns and the SAD has deployed all its resources to make an impact. With the intense heatwave sweeping the state, the parties are worried over the voter turnout and making all efforts to get people to vote. On its part, the Election Commission has been appealing the voters to turn up in large numbers.