Guest Blog Post by PS. MP UPPAL

Election fever is raging with no holds barred tempo for on going Assembly Elections in Punjab. The frenzy is busting at its seams. There are two principal political parties, Shiromni Akali Dal (SAD) (with Parkash Singh Badal manning the Bandwagon) and Congress (with Amarinder Singh behind the wheel) in the fray. BJP is in alliance with SAD and they are contesting in partnership. There is marginal presence of newly formed PPP (Punjab People’s Party) – floated by Manpreet Singh Badal, which is a breakaway of SAD, Communists and Mayawati’s BSP.

The political scenario is getting more and more interesting each passing day. The aspiring candidates who have been refused party tickets from their respective parties are either threatening to contest independently or join the opposite party in retaliation. The loyal party functionaries are in hot pursuit of these disgruntled elements to bring them round by doling out promises of lucrative incentives for pledging support to the parent party. Some have been cajoled back in the fold and others are still pouting in resentment perhaps in the hope of better deals. Right!

It is said all is fair in love and war/election. There are amusing twists and turns in the election scenario. It certainly is not positive electioneering and everybody is hell bent on using choicest terminology against the opponent. If the incumbent ruling dispensation lists its achievements the opposing party shreds the claims to bits and pieces by replacing statistics with their own which can neither be proved nor disproved.  A game of one-upmanship is being played by all the warring contestants. In this hullabaloo the development plank has been pushed deep under the carpet and the only apparent aim is to win by whichever means it takes.

Debates and discussions on various TV channels, not only fail to enlighten the public about real issues, but leave them befuddled. A viewer ends up wasting his time watching main issues getting diluted in peripheral and non issues. Most of the programmes are look alike ones if not carbon copies. The moral ethos has become a casualty.

The practice of charges and counter charges vitiates the ambience and puts question marks on the credibility of what is being stated by contestants in their election campaigns. So much so that there exists a complete trust deficit. Most see it as a regular comedy circus and watch it from the sidelines, completely detached. Urbanites are so much into cynicism that they are more or less indifferent to the poll process. They don’t commit to any candidate and watch the credentials of the contestants before making up their mind. The choice is limited and the situation is like between the devil and the deep sea.

Ad agencies are playing a significant role by devising eye catching caricatures of political big wigs. The current one doing the rounds in print media, radio and TV channels is Jeeta and Jaggi of the Congress pitted against Jhoota and Thuggi of the SAD. Each is digging into the vote bank of the other with whatever works. Each is denigrating the other with pot shots at where it hurts the most.

Take the case of Lambi which was once Parkash Singh Badal’s bastion, but no longer. His brother who worked tirelessly for him against the Congress candidate in all previous elections is now contesting himself from the same constituency on the ticket of his son’s PPP after the latter was expelled from the SAD. There is a Congress candidate also who is a cousin of Badal. It has become a triangular contest with far reaching ramifications. Parkash Singh Badal is playing the emotional card by referring to his wife’s death and his brother leaving him. His appeal to the voters is, “Don’t desert me at this hour.”

Battle lines are drawn and heated and fiery exchanges are the fodder of the poll campaign. But the quintessential battle is to wrest power at any cost. There is one consistent refrain, “Vote for us, we’ll pluck the stars for you.”

Parties have roped in Bollywood stars to campaign for them because of their mass appeal.  They’ve doled out freebies in kind to the poor to woo their support. Free kitchens are operating 24×7 for party workers and supporters.

All the candidates filed their nomination papers with cavalcades of their supporters in tow with lot of fanfare. However some have now filed withdrawal papers without any justifiable or explicit reason. Finally who is contesting from where has come in the open and election campaigns are hotting up. Candidates are going from door to door and are also addressing Nukkad gatherings in a bid to impress indecisive voters in the interiors of towns and villages.

Punjab is going to polls on 30th of January and the results will be announced on 6th March after the completion of electoral process in four other states. The institution of Democracy is watching from the wings, the shenanigans of the political class and is keeping its fingers crossed for the peaceful completion of the mammoth exercise.

******************About The Author

PS. MP UPPAL is a retd. Lecturer and ex. Principal. Currently she is busy writing for her blog. http://youandi-uppal.blogspot.com

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