The high-voltage campaign for the Punjab Assembly elections, due to be held on Sunday, came to an end on Friday with candidates of all the major parties hitting the road to reach voters.
The multi-cornered contest saw all the parties press the services of their star campaigners. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah sought votes for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance with the promise of the full support of the Centre once the saffron party-led government in the state, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) harped on its “Delhi Model” which the Arvind Kejriwal-led party said will be replicated in Punjab improving the public services.
The ruling Congress promised to continue the good work initiated by Charanjit Singh Channi during his 111-day tenure as the Chief Minister and the Shiromani Akali Dal which is fighting its first-ever election with party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal as CM candidate, is presenting itself as the only alternative to save Punjab.
The Congress pressed on its star campaigners Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The party president Sonia Gandhi was, however, absent from the campaign trail.
While the Congress and the AAP are not having an alliance and are contesting all 117-seats, the SAD is contesting 97 seats, leaving the remaining 20 seats for the alliance partner Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The BJP is contesting election on 65 seats, leaving 37 seats for Captain Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress and 15 for SS Dhindsa’s Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt).
The CM, Charanjit Singh Channi is contesting from two reserved seats (scheduled caste) Bhadaur in Barnala district and from Chamkaur Sahib, which he has represented thrice in the Assembly, in Rupnagar.
Former chief ministers Parkash Singh Badal and Amarinder Singh are contesting from their traditional seats Lambi (in Muktsar) and Patiala Urban respectively.
While AAP’s CM face Bhagwant Mann is contesting from Dhuri seat in Sangrur, the SAD-BSP’s CM face Sukhbir Badal is contesting from the border constituency of Jalalabad in Fazilka district. Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu is in the fray from the Amritsar East constituency.
As many as 1304 candidates are in the fray for the Punjab Assembly Elections for 117 assembly constituencies scheduled to be held on 20 February. Of these 1304 candidates, there are two transgenders, 93 women and 1209 candidates are men.
Among all the candidates, nine candidates are of 25-years-old age and six candidates are above the 80-years-old of which 94-years-old candidate, former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, contesting from Lambi constituency in Sri Muktsar Sahib is the oldest one. Punjab has 21499804 registered voters for these elections.