How will Capt Amarinder Singh manoeuvre votes for BJP in Punjab?

Chandigarh: Politics not only makes strange bedfellows but also witnesses unpredictable events even defying principles and ideologies by otherwise known uncompromising politicians having firm ideological roots and working beyond their vested interests. These politicians don’t hesitate in shifting loyalties to the parties whom they had been censuring at the pitch of their voice when facing a carrier crisis coupled with the incentives offered to them. 

Joining of BJP by octogenarian former Congress leader and two-time Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh has once again brought him to the spotlight after remaining away from the public and media limelight following his unceremonious exit from the Congress. But the moot question is whether Amarinder Singh’s joining of the saffron party ensures the Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) lotus to bloom in Punjab. 

No doubt, BJP is gradually collecting Sikh faces in its fold presumably to gain power in Punjab or at least to be in a negotiating position even if it reforges its alliance with Sukhbir Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal (SAD- B). It is pertinent to mention that SAD-B broke its alliance with BJP during the farmers' protest over three agri-bills.  

Also read: Amarinder Singh joins BJP, says 'time to do something for the country'

On September 19, Amarinder merged his newly launched party, Punjab Lok Congress, which he floated after being shown the door by the Congress with the BJP along with his son Raninder Singh, daughter Jai Inder Kaur and a handful of his courtiers. It’s not sure whether his Congress Member Parliament wife Parneet Kaur will join him or not.

 Also read: ‘Tip of the iceberg’: Amarinder Singh hints at more exits after 5 Congress leaders join BJP

However, Amarinder failed to bring prominent political faces with him on the day of the merger with the BJP. One of the prominent political leaders who were once the closest associate of Capt Amarinder Singh during the Capt regime claimed that it is now difficult for Capt to instil confidence in the people of Punjab. Apart from this, maintaining cordial relations with BJP old leaders and workers in Punjab is another challenge for capt Amrinder Singh as his accessibility to his workers has always been questioned.  

Rumours abound that BJP could give a ‘prominent’ place to Amarinder and project him as a Sikh face of the party in Punjab even throwing a challenge to the long-time alliance partner SAD(B) which is also striving to make a comeback in the Punjab politics after being routed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the last assembly elections. 

Manoeuvring votes for BJP by Amarinder or the other turncoats including former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunil Jakhar is not going to be an easy task but it is presumed that the turncoats could try to create a political crisis in AAP, especially by wooing its novice legislators. 

Going by the sources, massive groundwork including the formation of PLC  was done with active ‘advise’ of BJP’s think tanks before finally taking Amarinder Singh into the saffron fold which also preceded his reported meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah even as both of them were absent during his joining of the BJP.