Former Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal’s shift to the Bharatiya Janata Party from the Congress last week has a lot of political significance. It is evident that the BJP has decided to go it alone in the border state and Manpreet’s move certainly shall pre-empt a possible tie up the party could have had with its erstwhile ally, Shiromani Akali Dal which is headed by his estranged cousin, Sukhbir Singh Badal. There has been intense speculation that the BJP may have made up its mind to field Manpreet against Harsimrat Kaur Badal from Bhatinda in next year’s Lok Sabha elections. This would lead to a very high voltage Badal Versus Badal contest and determine whether the BJP would indeed be able to establish a foothold in Punjab. After the break up with the Akalis, the BJP has lost some of its influence, particularly in the 23 Hindu dominated Assembly segments. As a matter of strategy, the party has inducted a large number of Congress leaders including former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh in its fold. At least half a dozen members of the Captain’s cabinet have also moved over to the BJP, some before him and some after his entry. Amongst those who are now in the BJP are Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi and Balbir Singh Sidhu besides former PCC Chief Sunil Jakhar. There are also conjectures being made that Preneet Kaur, Captain’s wife and sitting MP from Patiala may also be joining the Saffron Brigade soon. She had met the Prime Minister a few months ago triggering off speculation of her shift. However, if she joins the BJP at this juncture, she may have to resign her Lok Sabha seat and it is unlikely that it would be possible for her to re-contest on the Lotus symbol and retain her seat. Punjab politics is at present dominated by the Aam Aadmi Party after its spectacular victory in the Assembly polls last year.
The Shiromani Akali Dal is slowly recovering from its huge loss and is trying to reclaim its space of Panthic politics. In BJP’s estimation, the Congress has weakened beyond any kind of revival and is unlikely to pose much of a challenge. This is a flawed thesis since the Congress has always been a force in the State and could bounce back if things go as per its plans.
Politics is also a game of possibilities and though it seems totally unlikely, but if the Congress and Akalis were to fight the polls with some sort of tacit understanding against AAP and BJP, the outcome can be anybody’s guess. Manpreet is a good catch and many have always considered him to be Chief Minister material. He is suave and sophisticated; he did his schooling from Doon School and later went to St.Stephens’ College and University of London. He is a formidable Jat Sikh face for the BJP and his entry could impact the Captain’s position. However, what future holds for him would be determined only after the 2024 Parliamentary elections. The BJP would also have to look at its internal affairs where many of its loyal party workers aspiring for the big ticket may get disgruntled if those coming in from the Congress are imposed from the