Will 'LOTAS' (turncoats) spell trouble for political parties in Punjab

As the date of election results for 2022 assembly elections draw closer,  the political parties here have geared themselves up to keep an eye on the activities of possible turncoats for whom political carrier opportunities and personal interests are above the morals and ideologies.

The turncoat politicians who could be switching their allegiance for ‘personal interest’ could seriously impact the formation of government in Punjab. Before the 2022 assembly elections, not only the AAP had faced massive defection but senior politicians of other traditional political parties had also shifted loyalties.

The weak anti-defection law has only encouraged turncoats here.

On December 28, 2021 Laddi,  Congress MLA from Sri Hargobindpur shifted loyalty to BJP but only a  few days later on January 3, 2022, Laddi reversed his decision and went back to Congress fold but only to stay with the Congress party for a little over a month’s time and on February 11 Laddi again joined the saffron party.

Congress MLA from Qadian  Fatehjang Singh Bajwa, who is the younger brother of Congress Member Parliament Partap Singh Bajwa had also joined BJP ahead of assembly elections.  

The lawmakers here should learn a lesson from neighbouring Pakistan’s anti-defection law where a politician switching his party has to resign from his post and contest by-elections on the new party’s symbols to get back to the post.

Pak politicians have also coined a  rather ‘derogatory’ term ‘lota’s’  (ewers) for the turncoats, referring to them as   ‘bin painde ka lota’ (baseless pot) and is used for a politician who keeps changing sides to embarrass them publicly.

The recent example of a political turncoat was of Balwinder Singh Laddi, Sri Hargobindpur MLA who shuffled between congress and BJP thrice in less than two months ahead of assembly elections.

The political pundits here are of the view that in absence of any strong anti-defection laws, a few winners of Punjab assemble elections could shift loyalties spelling troubles for the political parties.