The vote in Punjab was most obviously a vote for a change and what a change it has brought about by virtually consigning all established leaders of the State to the dustbin of history. It is perhaps the most magnificent victory that has been achieved in the political arena for a long long time and once again, Arvind Kejriwal who scripted a historic win in the national capital in 2015 is the spearhead, who has made this impossible feat possible. The AAP has returned to the Punjab Assembly with 92 seats, something which no one would easily believe in the 117 member House. Out of this mammoth number, 82 newly-elected MLAs are first-timers, thereby posing a challenge to the AAP leadership to put in place a good governance model in this border state. This challenge should be turned into an opportunity since such a mandate also implies huge expectations and this is one area, Kejriwal and Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Chief Minister-designate cannot afford to overlook.
I have been maintaining since last year that the situation in Punjab was similar to the one which existed in Delhi in 2013 when Sheila Dikshit was the Chief Minister. No one had way back in 2013 thought that the Congress could be wiped out in such a manner and Dikshit would lose her own seat. But it happened with Kejriwal trouncing her from New Delhi by a margin of 26,500 votes. Similarly, last year, no one was willing to believe that Captain Amarinder Singh could ever lose from Patiala but this too has happened this time. In fact, the loss was like a Greek tragedy since it ended the political career of a leader whose admirers consider him to be the best CM of the State after the late Partap Singh Kairon. The defeat came about on the eve of his 80th birthday which his followers celebrated in a low key manner on Friday. The AAP Tsunami also led to the humiliating defeats of two other former CMs, Parkash Singh Badal and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal besides the incumbent, Charanjit Singh Channi, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Bikram Singh Majithia, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi and O.P.Soni. The AAP win has propelled Kejriwal to the centre stage of national politics and he is now perhaps the only other leader after the Congress to have a government in two states of the country.
It is indeed a tribute to his unflinching commitment to his own style of politics that has come to be accepted by the people. An added bonanza that would follow this massive victory is that out of the seven Rajya Sabha seats that fall vacant before June this year; the AAP is sure to win at least six if not all the seven. This effectively means that in the Upper House of Parliament, the AAP shall have nine or ten members including the three from Delhi, thus having a major voice in the politics of opposition. What is also remarkable is that no political party has come up so rapidly in the history of modern India as AAP has done. The credit is naturally that of Kejriwal and his second in command, Manish Sisodia who have formed a formidable team to upset the apple cart of their opponents. Many political analysts based in Punjab fear that if the government fails to deliver in this sensitive state, it could lead to major problems which no one would be able to tackle. These fears may arise out of experience of these analysts but the fact remains that those who have been granted the mandate must get a chance to prove themselves. There is no reason to doubt their capacity to deliver and it is but natural that they shall usher in politics and governance models which would be in variance with what have existed in the state so far. The change is for a more secure future where jobs would be provided to the youth and steps would be taken to curtail the drug menace that has virtually ruined the new generation of Punjab. It is a generational change and should be recognized as such.
The appointment of Channi by Congress was a step in this direction but the electorate of Punjab has given this mandate to Bhagwant Mann and the AAP keeping in mind that they would be able to bring about the long-needed transition. While it is not possible to write the political obituary of any party, both the Akali Dal and the Congress would have to work extremely hard to keep themselves relevant in this important state. It is, for now, AAP ka Punjab and people have fulfilled the wish of Arvind Kejriwal and his team led by Bhagwant Mann, Raghav Chadha, and Jarnail Singh. A testing time for all of them now. And Bhagwant Mann has a huge responsibility on his head and must never let his party men and followers down.