Explained: 5 Factors That Led To Aam Aadmi Partys Sweeping Win in Punjab
Explained: 5 Factors That Led To Aam Aadmi Party’s Sweeping Win in Punjab
What made the AAP clinch a massive victory in Punjab and how it left the two parties which have been ruling the state for the past 70 years far behind? Here are some of the probable reasons.
Punjab Assembly Election Results 2022: The Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday clinched massive victory and expanded its root from Delhi to Chandigarh, making sure Bhagwant Mann would form the government in the state. The AAP-wave on the ground was so strong that it led to five-time Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal losing his bastion Lambi and incumbent CM Charanjit Singh Channi losing his both seats — Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur . The magic of the Aam Aadmi Party also led Congress rebel Captain Amarinder Singh to lose from Patiala.
As per the latest trends, the AAP is winning/leading in close to 91 of the total 117 seats in the state. (Final result in some seats are yet to be announced). So what made the AAP clinch a massive victory in Punjab and how it left the two parties which have been ruling the state for the past 70 years far behind? Here are 5 factors that may have led to AAP’s sweeping win in the land of five rivers- Punjab.
The Kejriwal model: The Aam Aadmi Party’s Delhi model of governance — which focuses on health and education, better civic infrastructure, services for the poor, and power and water at cheap rates — is certainly believed to be the prime reason of the party’s victory in Punjab. As an agrarian state, Punjab which has been struggling with unemployment, stagnant industrial sector, and a growing divide between rural and urban areas, hopes this time that the Kejriwal-led party will usher in a much-needed change in the state.
Congress infighting: Another factor could be the Congress infighting. In the run-up to the election this year, Congress continued to witness conflict within the party in Punjab. The first conflict started between former chief minister Amarinder Singh and Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and that caused irreparable adamage to the party’s image in the state. Soon after Amarinder Singh stepped down, the party brought in Charanjit Singh Channi as the new chief minister. However, a few days later, fresh conflict appeared between Channi and Sidhu over the CM face for the state. This is believed to have damaged the face of the party further. Moreover, the Channi factor also did not work well to repair the broken image of the party ahead of the election.
Farm agitation: The farm agitation that continued for more than a year finally forced the Central government to repeal the three contentious farm laws and the protest prepared the ground for the AAP to support the protesters and gain faith of voters in Punjab. During the protest, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, president of BKU (Ugrahan), the largest union of the state, said why they couldn’t see beyond lanes and drains even 70 years after independence. And AAP appeared to have an answer to these questions of the farmers.
Uproar for change: In Punjab, politics has always revolved around Congress and the SAD. As the feeling of discontent grew on the ground, people believed the leaders did not bring in any change to the state. The Congress and the Akalis were accused of being hand-in-glove and the Amarinder Singh government did little on corruption charges against the Badals and the drug lords in the state. This time, people across Punjab, Malwa region in particular, wanted a change in the state. Voters believed that have seen two big parties ruling the state for 70 years, but they haven’t delivered results. So, they felt it is time to give a chance to another party.
Support from youth and women: In Punjab, the AAP got massive support from the youth and women voters who wanted to give ‘aam aadmi’ party a chance to bring in new changes in the state. Apart from this, during the election campaign time, Kejriwal made it a point to reach out to women of the state. Kejriwal promised that Rs 1000 would be transferred to the bank accounts of women above the age of 18 in the state if the party came to power. This promise attracted him to this section of society even though many admitted that such populist promises are usually made to be broken. However, the fact that he wooed women as separate voters and not just as an extension of their fathers or husbands – and this struck a chord in the highly patriarchal state.
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