Arvind Kejriwal mislaid New Delhi constituency successful the Assembly polls. (Express photograph by Praveen Khanna)
The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) decision successful the Delhi Assembly elections has acceptable the Congress ranks successful Punjab abuzz with the enactment enactment making predictions ranging from Arvind Kejriwal replacing Bhagwant Mann arsenic the main curate and mid-term polls successful the authorities to an interior revolt successful the ruling party. Congress leaders besides said that the enactment would absorption connected capitalising connected AAP’s weakened presumption to regain governmental crushed successful the state.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Partap Singh Bajwa, elder Congressman and Leader of Opposition successful the Punjab Assembly, said that aft the rout successful Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal would present caput to Punjab wherever helium volition question to go main curate of the state.
“In this context, it is important to notation to a connection made by the authorities president of AAP successful Punjab, Aman Arora, a mates of days backmost who said that a Hindu could besides beryllium CM of Punjab and that the idiosyncratic occupying CM’s bureau should beryllium susceptible and should not beryllium seen successful the prism of Hindu oregon Sikh. Coming conscionable earlier the predetermination results successful Delhi, this is an important denotation of however the AAP enactment is paving the mode for Kejriwal to inhabit the CM’s seat successful Punjab. A Vidhan Sabha spot successful Ludhiana is already vacant aft the demise of the sitting AAP MLA and it volition beryllium convenient for Kejriwal to combat a by-election,” said Bajwa.
Prophesising that determination volition beryllium an interior tussle successful the AAP’s Punjab unit, Bajwa added that Mann and his supporters volition beryllium pitted against the Delhi enactment of AAP successful a powerfulness struggle. “There whitethorn beryllium wide defections amongst AAP MLAs successful Punjab,” said Bajwa.
On the different hand, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, the Congress MP from Gurdaspur, predicted a mid-term canvass successful Punjab with AAP disintegrating pursuing the crushing decision successful Delhi. “Punjab should beryllium acceptable for mid-term polls. AAP’s flock of MLAs volition disintegrate successful Punjab. At slightest 35 MLAs of their enactment are sitting acceptable to leap vessel and articulation different parties. The Delhi results volition besides bring retired the monolithic corruption that AAP has done successful Punjab successful the signifier of the liquor scam connected the lines of the Delhi liquor scam and the MSP scam successful paddy procurement this year. Everything volition present travel retired successful the open,” helium said.
Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who was the AAP person of the Opposition earlier and fell retired with Kejriwal later, called it a humiliating decision for the enactment and its nationalist convener. “This is simply a decision of the authorities of deceit and falsehood pursued by these fake revolutionaries virtually going backmost connected each committedness of theirs. These results are a connection to Bhagwant Mann to besides shun authorities of lies and vendetta successful Punjab,” helium said.
Congress leaders said the request present was to reconnect with voters who shifted to AAP. This mightiness impact resolving interior factionalism and promoting unity wrong the authorities unit. Congress would present intensify its disapproval of AAP’s governance successful Punjab, focusing connected issues similar unfulfilled promises, instrumentality and order, oregon economical challenges, to represent AAP arsenic ineffective.
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Party insiders said the Congress mightiness promote defections from AAP, particularly if its nonaccomplishment successful Delhi led to interior dissent. This could make an accidental for Congress to regain crushed successful the state, particularly since AAP’s emergence successful Punjab has often travel astatine the disbursal of Congress’s elector base.
Congress could ramp up its grassroots efforts, focusing connected agrarian and municipality voters by addressing section issues specified arsenic agriculture, unemployment, and cause abuse, which are important successful Punjab.
However, Congress’s occurrence would beryllium connected its quality to flooded interior challenges and contiguous a agreed front. It would besides request to cautiously measure the shifting governmental dynamics successful Punjab to tailor its strategy effectively.