By Advait Moharir
Cricketer-turned politician and former Rajya Sabha MP Navjot Singh Sidhu formally joined the Congress on Sunday. This move was preceded by him quitting the BJP, considering AAP, forming his own political outfit Awaaz-E-Punjab. Sidhu blamed the BJP-SAD government in Punjab for the drug menace, and also referred to himself as a born Congressman. He called his joining the Congress a gharwapsi.
The three-cornered fight in Punjab is getting more and more intense every day with hectic political campaigns.
Prospective candidates are defecting in large numbers and multiple promises are being made. With all parties pooling their resources and leading heated campaigns, opinion polls are only blurring the picture instead of making it clearer. This includes multiple opinion polls giving majorities to all the three parties in the fray.
The Aam Aadmis acclaim
[su_pullquote align=”right”]With all parties pooling their resources and leading heated campaigns, opinion polls are only blurring the picture instead of making it clearer.[/su_pullquote]
AAP has made the fight three cornered in Punjab with its aggressive campaigning, so much so that Delhi CM and AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal, has made himself the face of the campaign there. He is probably hoping to capitalize on the Lok Sabha gains made in 2014, where AAP won 4 of the 7 seats, showing a positive wave in their favour.
However, AAP hasnt projected any particular candidate as CM, and that might hurt their chances this election as it hurt BJPs tally in Delhi and Bihar.
Navjot Singh Sidhu enters the political arena of Punjab. | Photo Courtesy: HdwallpaperbackgroundsAn optimistic congregation
The Congress, on the other hand, has projected Capt. Amarinder Singh as the CM candidate right from the start. Using the drug issue and anti-incumbency as weapons, the Congress has gone full force in Punjab, and has gained ground in multiple districts with its rallies. Amarinder Singhs winnability and speaking skills are also huge assets.
[su_pullquote]Whether Sidhu has backed the winning horse or not will now depend on multiple factors. It will have to be seen how Congress uses him.[/su_pullquote]
The BJP-SAD alliance has decided to project old timer Parkash Singh Badal for yet another term. Also, the NDTV debate between the deputy CM Sukhbir Badal and Amaridner Singh showed that the ruling alliance still has a fighting chance. Apart from this, the BJP swept the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation polls, despite demonetization, showing that anti-incumbency may not be as big a factor as visualized earlier.
Sidhus prospective stride
[su_pullquote align=”right”]Sidhu has proven to be an effective campaigner, is an eloquent speaker, and has never lost an election. The seat he chooses to fight the election will be an important factor in deciding his fate.[/su_pullquote]
Political Opportunism is almost synonymous with Indian politics. The preference of short term political gains over long term government stability is a long-standing trend here. It is manifested in the alliances which are diverse and often ideologically incongruent. Navjot Singh Sidhus decision is fuelled by his personal ambition to be projected as the CM face, and his multiple U-turns have left people questioning his political judgment. Whether Sidhu has backed the winning horse or not will now depend on multiple factors. It will have to be seen how Congress uses him, seeing that the CM candidate is already declared. Sidhu has proven to be an effective campaigner, is an eloquent speaker, and has never lost an election. The seat he chooses to fight the election will be an important factor in deciding his fate. Also, it will be interesting to see how the BJP-SAD and AAP prioritize their campaigns, and whether they give Sidhu importance or consider him a non-entity.
In a nutshell, Sidhus decision has only added complexity to the already complicated Punjab election scenario. Unpredictability is the key factor here, and the predictability of the final outcome depends on how events unfold in the next few weeks.