Punjab bye-elections: Crucial test for incumbent AAP in a three-cornered battle

After its disappointing electoral performance in the recent Lok Sabha election in Punjab, the task appears to be cut out for the AAP to put its best foot forward to regain political supremacy

With the byelections for four Assembly constituencies in Punjab slated for November 20, the stage is all set for a three-cornered electoral battle between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Congress, and the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP).

The byelection for Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal, and Barnala Assembly constituencies was necessitated after the seats fell vacant after their representatives (MLAs) were elected to the Lok Sabha.

As the AAP, the Congress, and the BJP are facing each other in the electoral battle, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), a key regional player in state politics, had announced to not contest the byelection.

After its disappointing electoral performance in the recent Lok Sabha election in Punjab – the only full-fledged State where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is in power – the task appears to be cut out for the party to put its best foot forward to regain its political supremacy. The AAP came to power in Punjab with a thumping majority by winning 92 of the 117 Assembly seats in 2022, but its poor performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections came as a big blow for the party, especially for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who was leading the party’s Lok Sabha election campaign. The byelections are being seen as a critical test for the AAP to demonstrate its ‘popularity’ after being in power for over two-and-half years now. The party is harping on its ‘development works’ to seek votes in its favour.

Buoyed over its performance, the Congress party, which bagged as many as seven seats in Punjab in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, is confident of putting up a formidable show, however, the party would be under pressure to perform as of the four seats, three were held by the Congress. Of the three - Dera Baba Nanak, Gidderbaha, and Chabbewal seats were won by the Congress in 2022 Assembly elections. The Barnala seat was won by the AAP. The Congress is taking on the ruling AAP, by targeting it on its alleged abysmal governance, unfulfilled promises, and disregard for democratic values.

For the BJP, the byelections are another chance to make inroads into Punjab. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, after breaking the alliance with the Akali Dal and contesting the elections alone, though the BJP failed to open its electoral account in Punjab, the party was able to improve its vote share. The BJP secured an 18.56% vote share, up from 9.63% in the 2019 elections. While in alliance with the SAD, the BJP’s electoral base had largely been urban Punjab, it is now attempting to reach out to rural areas, especially to the farming Jat Sikhs, who traditionally supported the Congress and lately the AAP that came to power in the last Assembly elections.

The SAD, which has been passing through turbulence owing to its poor electoral performances and discontent, decided not to contest the byelections. The decision came after party president Sukhbir Singh Badal was forbidden by Akal Takht - the highest Sikh temporal seat to participate in the byelections. The party asserted that since Mr. Badal was forbidden to participate in the byelections, the party too could not participate in the exercise. Akal Takht had in August declared Sukhbir Singh Badal ‘tankhaiya’ or guilty of religious misconduct for several decisions that hurt the sentiments and interests of the Panth (Sikh community) when SAD was in power between 2007 and 2017 in Punjab. Later, Mr. Badal appeared before the Akal Takht and tendered an unconditional apology for “all mistakes committed by the party and its government”.

The key candidates in the fray include BJP candidate and former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal (Gidderbaha), Congress’s Amrita Warring (Gidderbaha), AAP’s Ishank Kumar (Chabbewal), BJP’s Sohan Singh Thandal (Chabbewal), Congress’s Jatinder Kaur (Dera Baba Nanak), BJP’s Kewal Dhillon (Barnala), AAP candidate Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon (Gidderbaha), and Congress’ Kuldeep Singh Dhillon (Barnala).

Published - November 19, 2024 05:54 pm IST