Punjab poll arena turns into comedy circus, but who’ll have the last laugh?

CHANDIGARH: Politics is serious business for comedians in poll-bound Punjab.

CHANDIGARH: Politics is serious business for comedians in poll-bound Punjab.

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Of the three main players in state elections due early next year, Bhagwant Mann and Gurpreet Ghuggi of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were finalists in a popular television comedy show. Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, the former BJP parliamentarian for Amritsar, has been the show’s judge.

Sidhu showed why his Twitter handle is named sherryontop when he bowled a googly to shut up people speculating an AAP innings for him after the BJP. He formed a fourth front, the Awaaz-e-Punjab, last week.

Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP has a pool of comedians to draw from, though. The party appointed stand-up comic Ghuggi as its state convener after sacking Sucha Singh Chottepur over a cash sting.

Mann, for his part, is the party’s campaign committee chairman in Punjab and can draw crowds at rallies any time, with quick-wits such as “the Congress’s seats in Delhi assembly are less than Lalu Prasad’s children”.

But people see Ghuggi as a replacement for Mann, whose troubles are brimming over for uploading a video of Parliament’s security, going to the House drunk, and accusing the media of publishing paid news.

As Punjab braces for Sidhu’s one-liners or Sidhuisms and wisecracks, the ruling Akalis and rival Congress are not amused.

“He will be just another clown in the AAP fold.” That’s how state Congress president Amarinder Singh reacted to speculation of Sidhu joining the AAP.

Punjab deputy chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal is dismissive about the crop of comedian-neta. “If comedy is the key (to winning elections), all jokers will be CMs,” he said.

Kejriwal may want Punjabis to laugh all the way to the ballot, but the question is who will have the last laugh? For once, his rivals may turn to Ghuggi’s popular show to counter him: “Ghuggi yaar, gup na maar (Don’t blabber, Ghuggi)!”