Assembly Polls In Punjab: Litmus Test For Democratic Choices

With the announcement of the assembly polls five states, Punjab will vote on valentine day-the 14 February to elect its 117 law makers.Whether, its by sheer coincidence and by design, but its a blessings in disguise for the industrious and sedulous Punjabis to show their choice and love for democratic rights. Its going to write a new chapter in the political history. 

The Election Commission has barred physical rallies and roadshows till January 15. This  will be reviewed after that since the "ground situation is dynamic". However, public meetings will be allowed with restrictions on timings. Door-to-door campaign also will be allowed, with  a bar on the number of people in the teams.

As the counting of the votes will be taken up on March 10, the contestants will have to wait for nearly a month with bated breath.

There will be many firsts in this election. For the first time Chief Minister, Charanjit Singh Channi  with his strong rival for top post and  state party boss Navjot Singh Sidhu will spearhead the 'ratchet' election campaigning  for Congress party. Its a different matter that both speak in different tones and are out follow their own agenda. 

For the first time Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will be without their 'doughty' leader, nonagenarian Prakash Singh Badal (94) and his son, who heads the party, will lead the party at the hustings. 

And for the first time octogenarian Capt. Amarinder Singh, who headed the Congress government in Punjab for over four years and for a full term earlier before he was replaced by his own dwarfed leader, Charanjit Singh Channi will be aligned against the party he cultivated for many years.  

And for the first time, farmers will be in the race as a political party.

And for the first time, the the usual din and bustle of the high-voltage campaigning will be missing.   

So, stakes are very high for all political parties and their top leaders. Undoubtedly, elections will also answer several questions that will affect the politics across the country.

If Congress wins, it will be attributed to Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi as both the  new Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and state party boss Navjot singh Sidhu are their choice.

The victory of Arvind Kejriwal's party AAP, as predicted by most of the opinion polls, will see emergence of new political permutations and combinations and victory of Akalis having alliance with BSP will see new social engineering in the country.

And if Capt. Amarinder Singh and BJP alliance works out, it will muscleblaze many popular uprisings.

(Chander Sharma)