Election fever is at an all-time high in the five states that are slated to go to the polls. In the build-up to the assembly elections, it was the farmers’ bill that was high on everyone’s radar, especially when these were rolled back. They were supposed to impact the elections both in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. As the elections drew closer, one finds that these are not making the same kind of headlines. One reason for this is of course that these have been rolled back. The second is that in Punjab where this was a hot ticket issue, the BJP is not really a player. Every other party has come out in support of the farmers’ protests in their own way, be it the Aam Admi Party, the Akali Dal that walked out of the NDA on this issue, and the Congress. As for Western Uttar Pradesh, the farmers’ protests, low MSPs are an issue specially in the sugar cane belt. But since it’s the hind heartland, caste equations also have equal heft, as do religious divides. For the SP and the RJD, getting the Jats and Muslims to vote together on the same issues, overcoming the communal faultlines will be a challenge.
Moreover, let’s not forget that these elections are taking place during Covid times. The economic downturn of successive lockdowns has taken its toll on everyone. Hence the promise of 300 units of free electricity has hit a chord both with Arvind Kejriwal’s voters in Punjab and Akhilesh Yadav’s voters in Uttar Pradesh. Other parties have followed suit. What is also interesting is that the PM’s security breach has not blown up into a big-ticket issue despite the BJP playing it up both on social media and on the ground.
If we take a look at the two big high profile states, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, we see that four different parties are dominating the election narrative. The state of Uttar Pradesh is witnessing a high voltage battle between the BJP and Samajwadi Party; while the AAP & Congress appear to have the edge in Punjab. In UP the narrative is one of Kamandal Vs Mandal, while in Punjab both parties are fighting to prove which one is the real aam admi. While Kejriwal has dibs on that tagline, Congress Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi is out to prove that he is more of a people’s person. He gives interviews on charpais, in a mustard field, he stops his cavalcade to help accident victims, and reaches out to protestors in the streets. Plus he is a Dalit face, taking the edge away from Kejriwal’s promise to prop up a Dalit Chief ministerial candidate from AAP.
To distract from the fact that he was going back on his word, the AAP held a referendum amongst the people of Punjab and came up with Bhagwat Mann, the party MP from Sangrur as its CM face. In fact, Mann was also the party’s state president but he resigned in 2018 when Kejriwal apologised to the Akali Dal leader Bikram Majithia for alleging he was involved in drug trade. A stand-up comic, Mann is the party’s star campaigner, he gets the crowds but this is the first time his leadership mettle will be tested. However, this is clear. If the AAP does come to power, it will be Kejriwal himself who will be running the state and not Mann. This is evident from the AAP campaign which says Ik Mauka Kejriwal Nu (give Kejriwal a chance). And the manifesto that he is taking to the people of Punjab is the Delhi Model of Governance.
This has put pressure on Congress to announce its CM face – whether it shall be Channi or the PCC Chief Navjyot Singh Sidhu. A Sidhu Vs Mann fight would make great TRPs as both are stand-up comics and come up with great oneliners. However if the Congress props Channi then it will be Kejriwal who will take him on, and both will play up the optics of being an aam admi.
In the end, it’s the poll season and despite these being Covid times, it’s also a time for some old-fashioned politics.