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Punjab race set for photo finish
The outcome in the state's 13 LS seats may determine the political future of both Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and former CM and Akali leader Parkash Singh Badal.
As campaigning drew to an end in Punjab with rallies addressed by Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and RJD leader Laloo Prasad Yadav, the outcome in the state's 13 LS seats may also determine the political future of both chief minister Amarinder Singh and former CM and Akali leader Parkash Singh Badal. In fact, the fight in the state is actually a direct confrontation between the two.
There are not many this time who want to risk betting on the results because the contest is very keen and the outcome could go either way. The Congress held eight seats in the state last time.
If the Congress considers Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Jallandhar, Patiala and Ludhiana among its strong seats, the Akalis (BJP) feel that they have a definite edge in Faridkot, Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Bhatinda and Ferozepur. There are some triangular fights like the one in Sangrur where last time MP Simranjit Singh Mann is pitted against S.S. Dhindsa (Akali Dal) and Arvind Khanna (Congress).
The high point of the polls has been that while three months ago few gave the Congress any chance, the prolonged campaign seems to have brought the party back into reckoning.
However, internal factional wars are likely to influence the polls. For instance, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, the deputy CM, sees the polls as her best chance to ensure Amarinder's ouster. Her supporters feel that if the Congress wins less than five seats, Amarinder's fate will be sealed.
Similarly, in the Akali camp there is talk of how Badal is paving the way for his son by pitting upcoming Akali leaders (who can be a threat to his son's political ambitions later) against strong Congress candidates.
For instance, Captain Kanwaljit Singh, who had won an assembly seat by 700 votes, is facing the CM's wife, Parneet Kaur, in Patiala. Dhindsa is in an uncertain fight in Sangrur. In Tarn Taran, an "outsider" is contesting against a dissident Akali leader.
For the BJP, the prospects are uncertain. Vinod Khanna is in a tough fight in Gurdaspur and despite a good campaign, Navjot Singh Sidhu is still the underdog in Amritsar. In Hoshiarpur, the BJP nominee could pull through in a triangular fight with the CPM and former MP Channi.
