JOIN USIn the backdrop of the bitter personality clashes between two prominent political clans, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is being highlighted as the Congress mascot in Punjab.
In the first phase, polling will be held in Ferozepur, Sangrur, Patiala and Bathinda on Thursday. The second phase of polling in the remaining nine constituencies will be held on May 13. The Congress is drumming up the Sikh and Punjabi credentials of Singh for the first time. The Congress candidates have been openly seeking votes, saying electing them would give the “Sikh PM” another term.
Overriding real issues, a war of attrition was let loose between the ruling Badal family and former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, as Harsimrat Kaur, daughter-in-law of chief minister P S Badal, is taking on Singh’s son Raninder Singh in Bathinda.
Other than Bathinda, Patiala has also been declared a hypersensitive constituency as Singh’s wife and two-time MP Perneet Kaur is in fray against Akali candidate Prem Singh Chandumajra. Interestingly, the deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal has described the parliamentary polls in Punjab as a fight between the Badals and the Patiala royal family of Amarinder.
Manmohan Singh’s election rally at Ferozepur received a huge response while AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi also addressed two rallies. On the last day of campaigning on Tuesday, Rahul deflected the BJP’s barbs against the PM, saying he had never seen a “weak Sikh” in his life.
The Badals concentrated on striking a personal rapport with the electorate through door-to-door campaigning and wrote letters to the nearly 13 lakh electorate of Bathinda. Harsimrat’s campaign was also targeted at women as she highlighted social issues like dowry and female foeticide.
The Akalis are fighting on the development plank, detailing achievements while the Congress is highlighting the “non-performance” of the Akali-BJP government.
One of the imponderables this time will be the stand taken by followers of the controversial Dera Sacha Sauda, which enjoys a huge following in these four constituencies. The Dera has asked followers to vote according to their conscience.