Lok Sabha elections 2019: Key players and issues in Punjab
For Lok Sabha election 2019, the BJP has agian teamed up with SAD, Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP will go with a rebel faction of SAD while the Congress is going alone
The ruling Congress party will try to consolidate its position in Punjab by extending its victory in the Lok Sabha election 2019 after its spectacular win in the last assembly polls.
The BJP has entered into a pre-poll alliance with its long-time ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the northern state for the 2019 general elections, with the two parties deciding to stick to their 2014 seat-sharing formula. The SAD will field candidates in 10 seats out of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state and the BJP, the remaining three.
Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party will fight the Lok Sabha polls due in April-May this year with the Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali), a breakaway faction of the SAD.
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The Amarinder Singh-led Punjab government has been under opposition attack for, what they say is, cheating farmers, unemployment amongst the youth, Dalits and the state’s underprivileged.
Here is all you need to know about the state:
Ruling party in the state: Congress
Number of Lok Sabha seats: 13
Party wise break-up of Lok Sabha seats in 2014: Congress-3 (Now 4 after it won the Gurdaspur by-election); SAD-BJP-6 (4+2) (BJP lost Gurdaspur in a by-election); AAP-4
Number of voters: 2.03 crore
Voter turnout in 2014: 70.61%
Number of assembly seats: 117
Party wise break-up of assembly seats won in 2017: Congress-77 (Congress tally now is 78 after it won Shahkot by-election last year); SAD-BJP-18 (15+3) (Tally of Akalis down to 14 after losing Shahkot); AAP-20; Lok Insaaf Party-2
Key leaders across parties: Capt Amarinder Singh (Congress), Navjot Singh Sidhu (Congress), Parkash Singh Badal (SAD), Sukhbir Singh Badal (SAD), Vijay Sampla (BJP), Bhagwant Mann (AAP), Harpal Singh Cheema (AAP), Sukhpal Singh Khaira (Punjab Ekta Party)
Key poll issues
· Desecration of Guru Granth Sahib and police firing on protesters during the previous SAD-BJP govt in 2015
· Pulwama terror attack and IAF’s retaliatory air strikes
· Kartarpur Corridor connecting Kartarpur Gurdwara (Narowal, Pakistan) with Dera Baba Nanak shrine (Gurdaspur, India)
· Farm loan waiver up to Rs 2 lakh by the Congress government for small and marginal farmers
· Allegation of non-fulfilment of poll promises by the Congress government.