JALANDHAR, Nov 30: It was a silent coup by the Adampur electorate who caught the complacent Akalis unaware when the ballot boxes were opened for counting. If the Adampur victory for Congress signalled an unprecedented determination to win, it also highlighted the factionalism within the SAD.Sourcess have confirmed that certain Akali leaders in the constituency, some of whom were aspirants for the ticket, had attended parties hosted by the PPCC Chief Amarinder Singh during the electioneering.Sources said such meetings were arranged by the Congress general secretary Balbir Brar, who is also attached to Amarinder in Jalandhar.They said certain leaders owing allegiance to SGPC Chief G.S. Tohra were also not very enthusiastic participants in the campaigning.Even as more than 20 ministers in the Akali-BJP government spreading to the constituency and campaigned door-to-door for close to a month, the people were not impressed by their visits. People apparently suppressed their anger against the government which arose due to rise in prices, DAP shortage and government's continued dillydallying on granting compensation to the farmers.On the other hand, the Congress had entered the electoral fray with a definite plan.What stumped the Akalis was the booth management of the Congress on the polling day. The PPCC Chief minced no words as he told his workers at meetings not to be cowed down by the ruling party workers and asked them to use force if the ruling party workers tried any hanky panky at the booths.It was also obvious that though Badal addressed more than 40 election meetings and his wife and son, Sukhbir Badal were also on the campaign trail, it did not have much effect.Congressmen were successful in impressing upon the electorate that Amarinder Singh had quit the Congress in protest against Operation Bluestar and was not a `deserter' as dubbed by Badal. They said he later quit the Akalis in protest against Operation Black Thunder at the Golden Temple. Amarinder claimed that a major chunk of Sikh votes, which had drifted away from the Congress after 1984, went in favour of the Congress candidate at Adampur, which was a turning point in Punjab politics.The Congress election in-charge, Bir Devinder Singh maintained pressure on the government and the electoral machinery by sending more than 20 complaints to the Chief Election Commissioner regarding violation of model code of conduct by the ruling party. His firm-handed approach also paid the Congress well when tensions mounted inside the counting centre during the nerve-wrecking close finish leading to the six-vote Congress victory.
