Everybody loves to watch the ‘dance of democracy’ –as Indians love to call their massive elections. The World Sikh News presents a bird’s eye view of the general election scenario in the state of Punjab as at the final count 2.7 million voters are expected to exercise their franchise in the seventh and last phase of elections on 19 May 2019.

As the spate of street corner meetings in villages and cities reaches a fever-pitch and the nomination process nearly completed, battle-lines are drawn for 13 of the 543 representatives which Punjab sends to the Indian Parliament.

Since the first election in 1950, primarily there have been two main contenders -the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Indian National Congress.

In the past, Punjab has also seen victorious candidates from parties like the Simranjit Singh Mann-led Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar and the Baba Joginder Singh-led United Akali Dal.

As the electioneering pitch picks up, like in the rest of the country, in Punjab too the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janta Party combine is contesting this election as a Presidential election and seeking votes in the name of Narendra Modi and the ultra-nationalistic narrative of Pakistan as the number one enemy of all Indians.

It is sad to see that the issues which led to the Akali Dal morcha in 1982, the attack on Darbar Sahib and Akal Takht in June 1984, the genocide of November 1984, the hundreds of thousands of detentions in Punjab, state repression in Punjab, the anti-people thrust of the Punjab police –pretty well-known and now again documented in 2018, are not election issues in 2019.

The Congress party candidates are banking upon the contribution of those MPs who were elected last time, the national plank of the Congress manifesto of justice to the poor and the two-year success of the Captain Amarinder Singh government in Punjab.

In the last Parliamentary elections in 2014, the Aam Aadmi Party sent 4 members of Parliament –the only ones from the whole country, but the Delhi-based remote control AAP played truant.  Now the AAP is contesting a few constituencies but except for its state president Bhagwant Mann, contesting from Sangrur constituency, the party seems to have has lost its bearings.

The Akali Dal breakaway Taksali Akali Dal of Ranjit Singh Brahmpura has fielded a few candidates but still seems to be suffering the pangs of separation and infancy, though they do go for the pitch of true federalism in the country, which was once upon a time the main goal of the Shiromani Akali Dal.

The Lok Insaf Party of the Bains brothers is contesting the seats of Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib and its ally Sukhpal Singh Khaira’s Punjab Ekta Party is contesting the Bhatinda and Khadoor Sahib seats. An anti-Akali Dal and anti-Congress middle path is the goal of these two parties.  The Nawan Punjab Party has its former MP as its lone crusader.

The Panthic groups, with insignificant political presence and no preparations are keenly pursuing human rights crusader Jaswant Singh Khalra’s wife Bibi Paramjit Kaur Khalra for the Khadoor Sahib seat, making it a fight between respect for human rights and abuse of human rights.  Should she win, she will perhaps be one of the first human rights voice in the Indian parliament.

Former diplomat and cabinet minister, Delhi-based Hardeep Singh Puri is contesting for the BJP from Amritsar and actor-turned-candidate Mumbai-based Sunny Deol is contesting for the same party from Gurdaspur.

The followers and leaders of the Sirsa-based Sauda Dera of the pseudo-saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim, after lying dormant for two years, have become emboldened enough to come onto the streets and are flexing their muscles.

The Bargari Morcha and its leadership are yet to make their mark in the Malwa region of Punjab as they have failed to sustain the anti-sacrilege agitation except for a few black flags here and there.

As regards the Communist parties of Punjab, they are waiting for the emergence of a Kanhaiya Kumar in the state.

The followers and leaders of the Sirsa-based Sauda Dera of the pseudo-saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim, after lying dormant for two years, have become emboldened enough to come onto the streets and are flexing their muscles openly as well as discreetly to lend support to any candidate or party which can once again lend them support for revival. The pseudo-saint has also applied for bail, albeit on personal grounds.

As of now, one cannot see any presence of the Sikh Diaspora in the Punjab elections, nor are there any reports or indications of any logistical support to any candidate or parties.  Disillusionment and lack of interest in parliamentary polls are the two reasons for this. The subdued 2020 referendum campaigners have also not made their noise for the 2019 elections.

Social media –Whatsapp and Facebook are still to catch up on the Punjab electoral scene as the Sikh social media warriors are busy commentating on the hate campaign across the country.

As per the ADR report, during 2010-11 to 2014-15, SAD collected Rupees 76.14 crores, Aam Aadmi Party collected Rupees 110.06 crores, BJP collected Rupees 2,445.87 crores and INC -Rupees 2280.43 crores as donations.

As per the report of the Association for Democratic Reforms, during the period 2010-11 to 2014-15, the Shiromani Akali Dal garnered Rupees. 76.14 crores as party funds whereas during the same period (in fact as the party was formed in 2012), , the Aam Aadmi Party collected Rupees 110.06 crores as donations. It is another matter that during the same period, the national parties –Bharatiya Janta Party collected a whopping Rupees 2,445.87 crores and the Indian National Congress got Rupees 2280.43 crores.

The Election Commission of India has not only not taken any decision on the alleged poll code violations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but despite a note by the Punjab government, it has failed to order the reinstatement of IG Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh to the SIT investigating desecration and police firing which killed two Sikhs in October 2015. Though a partial charge-sheet has been filed by the SIT, this issue will also play a role in the Malwa region where Akali Dal stalwarts are candidates.

It is sad to see that the issues which led to the Akali Dal morcha in 1982, the attack on Darbar Sahib and Akal Takht in June 1984, the genocide of November 1984, the hundreds of thousands of detentions in Punjab, state repression in Punjab, the anti-people thrust of the Punjab police –pretty well-known and now again documented in 2018, are not election issues in 2019.

Punjab parties and leaders have never placed premium on the role, contribution and performance of parliamentarians.  Will it be different in 2019?