Advantage Channi –
Punjab Elections, 2022
The die has been cast. Punjab is fully geared to participate and enjoy the festival of democracy – Punjab Elections, 2022. Election commission has declared the schedule and ‘Code of Conduct’ in this regard has come into operation, as usual. The filling of nominations by the candidates will start on January 21 till January 28, scrutiny of nomination will be done on January 29 and the nominations may be
withdrawn by January 31, voting will be done on February 14 and fate of the contestants sealed in the EVM machines. The counting of votes will be done on March 10 and results declared accordingly. By evening of the same day, it will be known which political outfit would form the next government in Punjab, amidst the Bhangra and Gidha of Democracy.
Elections in a democracy have usually been an interesting and exciting phase. It is more so, it seems, this time. It remained a bilateral matter between the Congress Party and Akali led coalitions from 1966 till 2017. But this time the scenario is different. It is going to be a four or even five cornered contest in most of the 117 constituencies with – 69 seats in Malwa, 23 in Doaba and 25 in Majha regions of Punjab. Dalits have a clout with 34 reserved seats in the total of 117. As of now it appears that there may be a fractured
mandate with no party having a clear majority. The next government would be a coalition - Congress + or Akalis + or AAP + or BJP and PLC + with pre or post election alliances. Some of the prominent leaders like; Charanjit Channi and Navjot Singh Sidhu of Congress Party, Sukhbir Singh Badal of Akali Dal, Bhagwant Mann and Harpal Singh Cheema of AAP, Captain Amrinder Singh of PLC, Ashwini Sharma and Manoranjan Kalia of BJP as PLC and BJP combine, are the likely faces as the next CM depending on the magic number of 69-70 +. All the outfits are fully engaged in finalizing their candidates in the run up to January 21, the first day of nominations. Akalis with its ally BSP and AAP have already named most of their nominees. Congress, BJP, PLC and newly formulated farmers party, Samyukt Samaj Morcha is in the process of completing the exercise to enter the Valentine’s Day rivalry, the day of voting on February 14.
The diverse issues would be at play – Kisan Andolan and its
fallout, sacrilege issues, fallout of Covid pandemic, economy including
employment and public services, drugs and sand mafia, dalit issues like Post
Matric Scholarships and Tughlakabad Guru Ravidass Mandir in Delhi, PM’s
security issue among others, to determine the outcome of elections. Some of the
factors which would work in shaping the political landscape in Punjab would be –
Akalis are not as united as before and are facing the elections without the BJP
after a long time, Congress Party is also a divided house with ‘Sidhuism’ and
‘Tiwari and Jakhar Homilies’ at work and
the damage being inflicted by PLC of Captain Amrinder Singh, BJP has lost
ground with losing Akallis as an ally, PM Narendra Modi’ handling of the Kisan
Andolan and dalit alienation by backing out of the announcement of having a
dalit CM, Tughlakabad Guru Ravidass Mandir issue, shoddy public image of BJP’s
dalit leadership, inter alia. AAP, as in
2017 also, was ahead in the ‘perception game’ but unfortunately, it appears, is
going the same way as in 2017 – alleged marketing of tickets ignoring the
genuine claimants and aspirants, remote control and dictation by the Delhi
elite, earlier Sanjay Singh and now Raghav Chadha, ignoring the sons of the
soil, lack of visible leadership except Arvind Kejriwal, considered to be an
outsider and Bhagwant Mann who is struggling still to find its due place and
space, in spite of his ability to pull the crowds, in the Punjab’s APP
hierarchy. Samyukat Kisan Morcha will mostly be a spoiler of the AAP and
Congress kitties.
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| CM Channi at Dera Sachkhand Ballan in Jalandhar |
dalits remained on the fringes of corridors of power due to socio-economic factors in the caste ridden society and economic inequalities on one hand and political machinations of political forces at work on the other to keep the weaker sections on the society on the margins. Things are slowly changing for the better due to the constitutional arrangements and relentless struggles of Babasaheb Ambedkar and Manyawar Kanshi Ram among others; like Babu Manguram Mugowalia. The very basis of democratic polity is ‘vote’ and the dictum of ‘one vote one value’ enshrined in
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| Struggle of Bbu Kanshi Ram |
the constitution, of late, has started to show its efficacy. Since independence in 1947, it took more than 75 years for a dalit, Charanjit Singh Channi, to become the first CM of Punjab in 2021 against all odds. I don’t subscribe to the view that somebody did any favour to him and the fact is that it is becoming increasingly clear that dalits are no more interested in keep sitting on the fringes of the system though they are yet to address the ‘divisive forces’ both inside and otherwise willfully designed and unleashed by the ‘Thekedars’ of the society with Manuwadi mindsets. Nobody will make anybody the PM or the CM. Dalits need to stand own their own. It is a matter of gratification to note that this realization among the dalits is dawning and rightly so. Charanjit Singh Channi became the CM in the wake of these political considerations and compulsions at the fag end of the Congress Party tenure of five years as a stop-gap arrangement at the first instance till the February, 2022 elections.
But it is a matter of great satisfaction again and a matter of surprise to many of his own colleagues in the party that Channi Sahib proved himself in a short span of three months or so and made a definite place for himself as a leader to be reckoned with as a ‘wonder of democracy’. By now in the run up to the elections, just a month away, Channi, it seems, will be a ‘catalyst’, if the Congress Party serious intends to retain power. This ground reality would not be easy to ignore and if anybody do so, it will at their own peril. Channi, it seems, will be and shall be the face of the Congress Party as the next CM of Punjab. Now I come to the question as to why I say so, obviously, people would be interested in knowing it. First, the entire political scenario is undergoing a big, much needed transformation - ‘power belongs to the masses’ in a democratic polity. Second, Channi is a suave, educated and cultured son of the soil with an ordinary background who could succeed in public life and make a definite space and place for himself with sheer grit and hard work. His earthy and easy demeanor to conduct himself as an “Aam Adami’ stole the show from the so-called Aam Adami of the
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| CM Channi at work as an Aam Adami |
AAP, Congress Party’s major opponent in the fray. His latest slugfest with the ruling dispensation at the Centre on the PM’s Security issue made him a Pan-India leader over-night. He turned the tide and visibly made the issue as Modi Vs Punjab, rightly or wrongly, it is hard to say till the report of the Supreme Court directed enquiry report comes. In the wake of the PM’s Security issue, Channi became a much sought after personality in the media, both print and electronic and also social media. Channi Sahib came out as a man of sterling worth on the camera in spite of every best by the vested interests in the media to catch him at wrong feet to carry the agenda of his distracters and opponents. Channi defeated all these designs. He also proved himself as an administrator with heart and mind. I am confident that the Congress High Command in Delhi is not oblivious of these ground realities and will reward their foot soldier, Charanjit Singh Channi to encash their wish to repeat their hold on power at their traditional Vote Bank and avail off the ‘Advantage Channi’ offer of the Vote Bank. I am also certain that Channi has come a long way and has already thrown his hat in the ring. There is no going back. I believe so. As PM Narendra Modi listed Advantage India in “Demography and Democracy” to convince the world leaders, it is exactly true for Channi also in the Punjab context. I, as apolitical observer, wish Charanjit Singh Channi all the best in the coming days and conclude with an Urdu couplet:
अपना मुकद्दर आप बनाते हैं अहले दिल;
हम वह नहीं जिन्हें ज़माना बना गया।
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