Punjab is eagerly awaiting the outcome of the 2022 Assembly election. The State’s electorate, particularly the rural masses, are poised to hold leaders of traditional parties accountable for the state’s problems. This heightened political awareness has been influenced by the 13-month-long farmers’ struggle, which has empowered common people to raise their concerns before candidates in their constituencies.
In 1956, the first Punjab government was formed through an alliance between the Congress and the Akalis under Chief Ministership of Dr. Gopi Chand Bhargava. Since then, the State has seen various coalition governments formed by different political parties.
The delimitation process before the 2012 Assembly election increased the electoral importance of the Malwa region, which has historically dominated State politics.
In the 2017 election, the Congress won a landslide victory, with the AAP becoming the main opposition party and the ruling SAD-BJP alliance coming in third. This election brought about a political change as new parties emerged and shifted the vote share away from traditional parties.
The 2022 Assembly election is centered around people’s issues such as agrarian crisis, unemployment, development, drugs, smuggling, corruption, mafia, and involuntary migration of youth. The entry of the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM), a political front of various farmer organizations, has made it a five-cornered contest for the first time.
It is evident that mainstream political parties are engaging in competitive populism rather than addressing core issues. The State requires a blueprint for pulling itself and its people out of the current crisis-ridden situation.
Punjab has a history of socio-political movements and the recent farmers’ protests against the three Central farm laws are a testament to the undying fighting spirit of the people.