• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Our Authors
  • Contact Us

The Punjab Pulse

Centre for Socio-Cultural Studies

  • Areas of Study
    • Social & Cultural Studies
    • Religious Studies
    • Governance & Politics
    • National Perspectives
    • International Perspectives
    • Communism
  • Activities
    • Conferences & Seminars
    • Discussions
  • News
  • Resources
    • Books & Publications
    • Book Reviews
  • Icons of Punjab
  • Videos
  • Academics
  • Agriculture
You are here: Home / Areas of Study / Governance & Politics / Sangrur By-election: Punjab continues to look for a leadership change

Sangrur By-election: Punjab continues to look for a leadership change

June 29, 2022 By Jaibans Singh

Share

Jaibans Singh

A by-election in the parliamentary constituency of Sangrur, Punjab was held on 23 June 2022. It was necessitated by the vacating of the seat by the previous candidate, Bhagwant Mann, of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), who fought the Vidhan Sabha elections from the Dhuri constituency in District Sangrur, won his seat and is now the chief minister of Punjab.

The election, even though valid only till the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, was keenly contested by all political parties. 16 Candidates filed their nomination papers; those from the main political parties were Kewal Singh Dhillon from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Dalvir Singh Goldy from the  Congress party, Gurmail Singh from AAP, Kamaldeep Kaur from Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Simranjit Singh Mann from SAD (Amritsar).

The SAD identified the release of the “Bandi Singhs” as the main election agenda. These are Sikhs of Punjab who, during the period of militancy in Punjab, were arrested for involvement in militant activities, charged under law, found guilty of various crimes and meted out sentences ranging from death to different terms of imprisonment. A movement for release of the Bandi Singhs has been going on for a long time now. The SAD candidate, Kamaldeep Kaur, is the sister of a Bandi Singh, Balwant Singh Rajoana, who is on death row in Patiala jail for the murder of former Punjab chief minister, Beat Singh in 1995.

The Union Government is processing a case for commutation of the death sentence of Balwant Singh Rajoana to life imprisonment. The Union Government is also processing cases for release of such Bandi Singhs who have served their prison sentences but continue to be in jail. With the government already seized with the matter, making it an election issue definitely has a political connotation.

Simranjit Singh Mann of SAD (Amritsar) also fought the election on the agenda of Bandi Singhs but, along with it, he added the separatist dimension that his party advocates. He openly supports the concept of Khalistan that has been firmly rejected by the people of Punjab.

For the ruling AAP, the election was an acid test of its performance in the last three months that it has been in power, more so, since the constituency has been nurtured by the incumbent chief minister. The party, therefore, held a vigorous campaign including road shows by Mann as well as the national convenor, Arvind Kejriwal.

The Congress was eager to test the political waters in view of the change of leadership that it has brought about in the aftermath of a near exodus of its senior leadership to the BJP. It fielded its strongest candidate from the area.

Election campaign of BJP candidate – Kewal Dhillon

The results declared on 26 June placed Simranjit Singh Mann as the winner having garnered 5822 votes more than his nearest rival, Gurmail Singh of AAP. While the first two candidates scored about 2.5 lakh votes each, the remaining three from the main parties could not cross even the one Lakh mark. The overall voting stood at 45.30 percent as against 72.44 percent in the 2019 parliamentary elections.

Simranjit Singh Mann, 77, is a bureaucrat turned hard line Akali leader who created his own party known as SAD (Amritsar). He first won a parliamentary election from Taran Taran, Punjab in November, 1989 with an overwhelming majority. He was in jail at that time but was released after dropping all charges against him. He, however, was denied entry into the Parliament house for insisting on carrying a Kirpan (sword) of a size bigger than the one allowed for the followers of the Sikh religion. He subsequently resigned his seat in protest. He was elected from Sangrur again in 1999 but lost all subsequent Parliamentary as well as Vidhan Sabha elections.

The resurgence of Simranjit Singh Mann, when seen in concert with the complete decimation of SAD (Badal), raises concerns about a possible increase in radicalised Akali politics that have been rejected conclusively by the people of Punjab for many decades now.

The die was cast almost immediately with Mann invoking  Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Deep Sidhu and Sidhu Moosewala in his victory speech. More significantly, Mann had raised the issue of  Khalistan at a SGPC meeting held in May this year. These are dangerous trends that need to be contested politically and socially by the people of Punjab.

Defeat of the AAP candidate in the hands of a failed politician of a fringe group is yet another significant fall out of the election. The people have reacted to the failure of the Government to stand by its promises. The gruesome murder of Sidhu Moosewala, deteriorating law and order situation, unbridled gangster and mafia culture, drug proliferation, terrible situation of electricity and civic amenities are major cause (among many more) for the disenchantment of the people, they are feeling let down and cheated. Most critical is the realisation that the AAP leadership is using Punjab as a financial and political springboard to fructify its national ambitions.

For the BJP, it was the first attempt towards fighting a parliamentary election in the Malwa belt of Punjab, since earlier all candidates here were fielded by the SAD (Badal) as part of the partnership protocol between the two parties. Fighting independently in the Malwa belt for the first time and getting a better voter count then the SAD (Badal) has rid the party of the shadow of its former senior partner in the state. However, a need for introspection emerges from the fact that the vote count of its candidate, Kewal Dhillon, has fallen considerably from the parliamentary election in 2019 which he fought, in the same constituency, as a candidate of the Congress party. BJP has made inroads but a lot of ground, especially in the rural areas of the state, still needs to be covered.

For the SAD and Congress party the clear message is that the people have neither forgotten nor forgiven them for the misrule that they perpetrated, turn by turn, over the last many decades. They will need to bring about drastic  changes in their organisations and their policies to gain some relevance in the state again, if at all.

Overall, it is evident from the election result that the mature and politically aware people of Punjab are looking for a leadership change. They want a new, dynamic, honest and effective leadership that can steer the state out of the massive problems that the state is facing in the social, economic and other fronts. In the Vidhan Sabha elections, they rejected the traditional parties and opted for AAP. Now, within three months, they have rejected AAP for a new face. It seems that the  experimentation will continue till the right combination that can deliver emerges. It is in the interest of the political establishments to read the writing on the wall and opt for induction of new, dynamic, honest leadership that can win the confidence of the people.


Share
test

Filed Under: Governance & Politics, Stories & Articles

Primary Sidebar

News

ਪੰਜਾਬ ਚ ਖੇਡਾਂ

February 4, 2023 By News Bureau

ਸਿੱਖ ਫੌਜੀਆਂ ਲਈ ਹੈਲਮੇਟ ਲਾਜ਼ਮੀ ਕਰਨ ਦੇ ਫ਼ੈਸਲੇ ਦਾ ਵਿਰੋਧ

February 4, 2023 By News Bureau

ਪ੍ਰਨੀਤ ਕੌਰ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ’ਚੋਂ ਮੁਅੱਤਲ

February 4, 2023 By News Bureau

आप सरकार के सत्ता में आने से पंजाब में आया बड़ा बदलाव

February 4, 2023 By News Bureau

मोटा अनाज खाएं; जल-जमीन और जीवन बचाएं

February 4, 2023 By News Bureau

Areas of Study

  • Governance & Politics
  • International Perspectives
  • National Perspectives
  • Social & Cultural Studies
  • Religious Studies

Featured Article

The actual message and etymology of Sri Guru Granth Sahib needs to be preserved

January 31, 2023 By Guest Author

Dr. Rajinder Pal Singh Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the eternal living Guru continues to inspire mankind and provide guidance for God realisation and truthful living. It contains the teachings of the Sikh Gurus as well as of Hindu and Muslim saints. Eternal wisdom flows from its teachings which are recited and sung with intense devotion […]

Academics

‘सिंघसूरमा लेखमाला’ धर्मरक्षक वीरव्रति खालसा पंथ – भाग-10 – भाग-11

सिंघसूरमा लेखमाला धर्मरक्षक वीरव्रति खालसा पंथ – भाग-10 विजयी सैन्य शक्ति के प्रतीक ‘पांच प्यारे’ और पांच ‘ककार’ नरेंद्र सहगल श्रीगुरु गोविंदसिंह द्वारा स्थापित ‘खालसा पंथ’ किसी एक प्रांत, जाति या भाषा का दल अथवा पंथ नहीं था। यह तो संपूर्ण भारत एवं भारतीयता के सुरक्षा कवच के रूप में तैयार की गई खालसा फौज […]

‘सिंघसूरमा लेखमाला’ धर्मरक्षक वीरव्रति खालसा पंथ – भाग-8 – भाग-9

सिंघसूरमा लेखमाला धर्मरक्षक वीरव्रति खालसा पंथ – भाग-8 अमृत शक्ति-पुत्रों का वीरव्रति सैन्य संगठन नरेंद्र सहगल संपूर्ण भारत को ‘दारुल इस्लाम’ इस्लामिक मुल्क बनाने के उद्देश्य से मुगल शासकों द्वारा किए गए और किए जा रहे घोर अत्याचारों को देखकर दशम् गुरु श्रीगुरु गोविंदसिंह ने सोए हुए हिंदू समाज में क्षात्रधर्म का जाग्रण करके एक […]

‘सिंघसूरमा लेखमाला’ धर्मरक्षक वीरव्रति खालसा पंथ – भाग-6 – भाग-7

सिंघसूरमा लेखमाला धर्मरक्षक वीरव्रति खालसा पंथ – भाग-6 श्रीगुरु गोबिन्दसिंह का जीवनोद्देश्य धर्म की स्थापना, अधर्म का नाश नरेंद्र सहगल ‘हिन्द दी चादर’ अर्थात भारतवर्ष का सुरक्षा कवच सिख साम्प्रदाय के नवम् गुरु श्रीगुरु तेगबहादुर ने हिन्दुत्व अर्थात भारतीय जीवन पद्यति, सांस्कृतिक धरोहर एवं स्वधर्म की रक्षा के लिए अपना बलिदान देकर मुगलिया दहशतगर्दी को […]

Twitter Feed

The Punjab Pulse Follow

The Punjab Pulse is an independent, non-partisan think tank engaged in research and in-depth study of all aspects the impact the state of Punjab and Punjabis

ThePunjabPulse
Retweet on Twitter The Punjab Pulse Retweeted
gopalsa22721269 गोपाल सनातनी @gopalsa22721269 ·
4 Feb

निकले तो भारत जोड़ने थे लेकिन यात्रा में बुलाया उनको जो कभी भारत को तोड़ने की बात कर चुके हैं!!

Reply on Twitter 1621779051957587968 Retweet on Twitter 1621779051957587968 12 Like on Twitter 1621779051957587968 19 Twitter 1621779051957587968
Retweet on Twitter The Punjab Pulse Retweeted
gopalsa22721269 गोपाल सनातनी @gopalsa22721269 ·
4 Feb

यही सोच कोंग्रेस को पनपने नही दे रही है जिसने कोंग्रेस का भला किया उसके साथ ऐसा ही व्यवहार करते हैं ??

Reply on Twitter 1621756288521875456 Retweet on Twitter 1621756288521875456 14 Like on Twitter 1621756288521875456 17 Twitter 1621756288521875456
Retweet on Twitter The Punjab Pulse Retweeted
ourindiafirst19 India First @ourindiafirst19 ·
4 Feb

स्वदेशी से बढ़ रही आत्मनिर्भर भारत की धाक 💪

Reply on Twitter 1621762337660350464 Retweet on Twitter 1621762337660350464 14 Like on Twitter 1621762337660350464 44 Twitter 1621762337660350464
Load More

EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Signup to receive regular updates and to hear what's going on with us.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Phone
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

TAGS

Academics Activities Agriculture Areas of Study Books & Publications Communism Conferences & Seminars Discussions Governance & Politics Icons of Punjab International Perspectives National Perspectives News Religious Studies Resources Social & Cultural Studies Stories & Articles Uncategorized Videos

Footer

About Us

The Punjab Pulse is an independent, non-partisan think tank engaged in research and in-depth study of all aspects the impact the state of Punjab and Punjabis at large. It strives to provide a platform for a wide ranging dialogue that promotes the interest of the state and its peoples.

Read more

Follow Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Phone
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 · The Punjab Pulse

Developed by Web Apps Interactive