All posts tagged: punjab lok sabha polls

In Punjab, disillusionment with AAP boosts Congress hopes | Political Pulse News

Published by Parlour News

“I had voted for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2022, this time I will vote for the Congress chaahe jitte chaahe haare (whether it wins or loses),” says Baljinder Kumar of Rakra Dhahan village in the Anandpur Sahib Lok Sabha constituency as his wife Kulwinder Kaur nods. The Congress won 8 of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab in 2019. However, since then, the party has been facing a series of setbacks. It was swept away in the 2022 Assembly polls, where it won only 18 of the 117 seats, and the aftermath saw many of its leaders, including former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, deserting the ship for the BJP. With almost two dozen others facing Vigilance probes and jail terms, the Punjab Congress can take heart from such voices. Months ago, AICC general secretary in-charge for Punjab Devender Yadav, told The Indian Express that they would fight the polls “on the front foot” with their stalwarts in the ring. True to his word, the party has fielded senior leaders such as …

Shiromani Akali Dal narrowing focus to ‘regional identity’

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Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Sukhbir Singh Badal during a road show ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, in Mansa, Punjab. File | Photo Credit: PTI With the parliamentary election closing in and electioneering picking up in Punjab, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which is toiling to reclaim lost ground appears to be narrowing its focus down to “regional identity”. As the party continues its ‘Punjab Bachao Yatra’ (Save Punjab) march, party president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday targeted the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), calling them outsiders and Delhi-based parties that have never let Punjab’s interests prevail. Addressing gatherings at Dera Bassi and Zirakpur areas in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district, Mr. Badal said “Experimenting with Delhi-based parties had cost Punjab dearly with all its core issues including federal autonomy being put on the back burner.” He added that Punjabis should put their faith in the SAD to ensure the State’s voice reaches Parliament. Mr. Badal said, “Our experiments have cost us dearly. Earlier the Congress misled you with …

AAP and Congress dichotomy in Punjab: No truck but united over narrative this Lok Sabha election | Chandigarh News

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The ruling AAP and Opposition Congress, the constituents of the INDIA bloc at the national level, may not have come together to contest the Lok Sabha elections in Punjab, but they are united in spinning a narrative for the polls and telling the electorate that this is the country’s “last chance” to save the “hard-earned freedom”. The AAP and Congress are giving clarion calls to the electorate to vote to save democracy and the Constitution of India. From Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to senior leaders of rival Congress party, everyone has been underlining that if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is allowed to rule at the Centre yet again, these Lok Sabha elections would be the last and the country would move towards “single political party’s dictatorial rule”. In an interview with The Indian Express recently, CM Mann said, “These polls are very important. Agar log chook gaye, to Russia ki tarah, Putin ki tarah bas main, main, main hoga, aur vipaksh khatam (If people miss this time, India will be like Russia, Putin, and …