As Delhi votes, all Punjab parties keep an eye on AAP performance

The AAP is also the main Opposition party in the Congress-ruled Punjab.

If AAP wins Delhi with a brute majority — in 2015, the party had stormed to power winning 67 of the 70 seats — their victory could cause a ripple effect in Punjab. Political parties including Congress, and the opposition SAD-BJP combine have almost written of the AAP, especially after the party could win just one seat in Punjab in last year’s Lok Sabha election. Even that victory was attributed to the individual popularity of AAP state president Bhagwant Mann, who retained the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat, beating nearest rival Kewal Singh Dhillon of Congress by a margin of over one lakh votes. In 2014, AAP had won four Lok Sabha seats in Punjab.

Incidentally, Sangrur was the only seat that AAP won out of over 40 Lok Sabha it contested across nine states and Union territories.

After winning Delhi Assembly election in 2015, the AAP had witnessed a groundswell of support in Punjab. At 2016 Maghi Mela, the political rallies of other parties had paled in front of that of the AAP. However, the party leadership committed several blunders, including warning up to radical Sikhs in state, besides others and it affected the party performance in 2017 Punjab Assembly election.

It, however, managed to win 20 of the 117 seats and emerged as the main opposition party. After that, AAP’s stock same crashing down in Punjab following fissures in the party. It did not win a single by-election and lost security deposits in 12 of 13 Lok Sabha seats.

Now, it is being speculated that AAP doing well in Delhi could turn the tables for party in Punjab too.

Reminiscent of support for AAP in 2015-2016, a Congress minister admitted that Delhi election results may have a bearing in Punjab. “We do not know if Delhi results would have an impact on Punjab or not. But last time it had happened. Now, AAP is contesting the election on development agenda. It could reverberate in Punjab also,” the minister said.

The Akali leaders too said they were keeping an eye on the Delhi elections. While playing down any threat in Punjab where they said the next election would be fought between the SAD-BJP combine and the Congress, the Akalis grudgingly admit that the AAP getting a few seats may affect their performance.

After its performance in Delhi in last year’s Lok Sabha polls was far from satisfactory – it ranked third in most constituencies with an exception in South Delhi and Northwest Delhi where it ranked second – AAP had been working on regaining the lost ground, reaching out to the masses while publicising the development works it has carried out.

The fact that Delhi poll results will matter in Punjab can be gauged from the fact that top Congress leaders from state, including Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and several of his Cabinet colleagues carried out a vociferous campaign for the party candidates there. Amarinder Singh spent two days addressing rallies and taking out roadshows where he had hit out at his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal saying that the AAP leader had has done nothing exceptional by giving cheap power, water and setting up mohalla clinics across the city.

Cabinet ministers including Manpreet Badal, Rana Gurmit Sodhi, Sukhjinder Randhawa,

Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Sunder Sham Arora, Balbir Sidhu, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and several MLAs including Sukhpal Bhullar, Inderbir Bolaria, Kulbir Zira And Sanjay Talwar too actively campaigned in Delhi.

“We do not know what the result would be. But we have not left any stone unturned. Rest everything will be clear on February 11, the day of results,” said a minister.