The new Punjab will give the mandate to whom?

The Congress Party has suffered a huge blow only five days before the Punjab elections.

Ankit Awasthi
Published on: 18 Feb 2022 12:59 PM GMT
The new Punjab will give the mandate to whom?
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The Congress Party has suffered a huge blow only five days before the Punjab elections. Although it cannot be measured in terms of votes, its political message is obvious and significant in that it ensures that the rift in Congress remains uninterrupted. On the horizon is the re-election of Congress. The party's prospects are grim in the foreseeable future, as follows: Even the most powerful members of Congress are feeling stifled and powerless in the face of these circumstances.

The former Union Law Minister and former Rajya Sabha MP Ashwani Kumar said that these utterances are not just charge-makers, but also represent the anguish that has been felt by Congress for 46 years. Kumar stated his dissatisfaction with the party when quitting. Among the Gandhi family of the Congress, he was regarded as a devoted and close leader. The only other person who has left the Congress is Captain Amarinder Singh, a two-term Congress chief minister and Lok Sabha member who has been in the party for 42 years, but he, along with several other party MLAs, has decided to leave the party.

On the state level, the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party have gained support from over half of the Congress membership in Punjab. This election will be historic, according to Captain's estimation, if Congress gains even 20-25 seats. Keep it until March 10, when the mandate will be made public, and then we may discuss it more. This does not seem to be a source of concern for Congress's high command, though.

It is being framed as an ideological war, according to Rahul Gandhi, a former party president, and senior MP. Without a doubt, ideology is a component of every political party and every organization, but it is also a battle that can be won with rationality and widespread public acceptance. This is not represented in the national sentiment that exists in Congress. On a number of levels, there is apparent opposition inside the party.

Manish Tewari, a party MP and former Union Minister has even said that such politicians are campaigning in Punjab and that his wives would not vote for the Congress as a result of their demand. The G-23, a group of dissidents and suspected rebel commanders who operate inside the Congress, is also active in the political arena. No effort was made by the leadership of Congress to appease or persuade him at all.

Only top figures in the Punjab Congress, such as Captain and Ashwani Kumar, are voicing concerns about Chief Minister Channi and his administration, particularly in light of the state of the state's finances. It is also a dilemma in Punjab, as it is everywhere, as to why we should vote for someone who has a torn vote himself.

Punjab is a state on the border with other states and territories. Pakistan shares a large portion of its territory. Terrorism across borders, drug trafficking, drone penetration, and the supply of weapons have all been very sensitive and concerning issues. Additionally, Prime Minister Modi has voiced grave security worries, warning in metaphorical language that the potential administrations of the Congress and the AAP would not be able to protect the security of Punjab. In addition, Captain Channi and state Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu have been criticized for providing inept leadership in terms of security. However, although we may regard these charges and evaluations to be election-related, Rahul Gandhi has instead made allegations about the wide leader and terrorist interrelationships rather than unveiling a specific security program.

In today's Punjab, is terrorism still a threat? To this question, no one can provide a definitive solution. To be sure, all of the political parties are vying for votes by promising free power, water, irrigation, loan, and unemployment benefits to educated kids, among other things. However, no one has yet to provide a plan for reducing Punjab's debt of more than Rs 3 lakh crore. The state's economy would have suffered as a result of the populist promises made by the government.

After the 10th of March, we are visualizing a different Punjab. There have been some serious concerns expressed as a result of this. Considering that over 12 crore people throughout the nation continue to vote for Congress, its ongoing decline is a concerning feature of the political and democratic dynamics.

Ankit Awasthi

Ankit Awasthi

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