Memes, Catchy Phrases and Quirky Slogans Set the Stage as Punjab Polls Inch Nearer

Chandigarh: With lower than a day to go for the February 20 polls, political events in Punjab are pulling out all of the stops.

From Prime Minister Narendra Modi internet hosting outstanding Sikh leaders at his residence in Delhi on the final date of campaigning on Friday, February 18, to Congress’s Charanjit Singh Channi writing to the Centre to inquire into allegations towards AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal supporting separatists throughout 2017 polls, the desperation is totally seen forward of the essential vote.

Even Congress chief Rahul Gandhi performed alongside on this difficulty, searching for solutions from Kejriwal on the allegations that his former colleague Kumar Vishwas raised in a media interview on Thursday, February 17.

If this was not sufficient, there was one other row over Channi’s pejorative “UP, Bihar Ke Bhaiya” comment that he later clarified was used for Kejriwal.

Punjab’s ballot narrative took a pointy flip with the political class making a notion that merchants reside in concern, or the presence of Sikh radicalism.

However the last-minute political theatrics, every political social gathering has rigorously developed its ballot technique that started early January with a social media struggle and at last ended with huge rallies, and roadshows.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Occasion (AAP) had been early birds to hit the bottom within the poll-bound state adopted by Congress. The Bharatiya Janata Occasion-led entrance was the final one to select up, despite the fact that their leaders nonetheless confronted farmers’ wrath at many locations. 

Curiously, the belated motion of the saffron social gathering got here proper from the highest.

Other than addressing rallies in Jalandhar, Pathankot and Fazilka between February 14 and February 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an image of his assembly with Baba Gurvinder Singh Dhillion, chief of Radha Soami Satsang Dera, which has a sizeable variety of followers in Punjab.

Then, Union dwelling minister Amit Shah known as upon Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpeet Singh and held a closed-door assembly.

The BJP-led Haryana authorities’s grant of furlough to rape and homicide convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim of Dera Sacha Sauda – who additionally has a big follower base in Punjab’s Malwa area – too arrived at an opportune second.

Political messaging of all events too differed in tone and tenor up to now few weeks, despite the fact that the big narrative of ‘change’ has caught public frenzy in Punjab.

If AAP’s Kejriwal sought one probability from voters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi known as AAP photocopy of Congress and stated solely BJP may care for the border state.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi requested voters to not experiment and select Congress once more. Then again, SAD’s Parkash Singh Badal skilled weapons at each Congress and AAP, saying solely their very own social gathering may care for Punjab.

Catchy slogans and memes

Ever for the reason that ballot marketing campaign hit Punjab, it’s fascinating to notice how slogans of every of the political events stored the general public entertained.

Because the Election Fee banned bodily rallies because of COVID-19 restrictions within the early section of the election, political events invested plenty of their time and vitality into digital campaigning on social media websites, together with Fb, Twitter, movies, stay webcasting and even memes.

One slogan that caught public consideration on this election was AAP’s ‘Ik Mauka AAP Nu’, asking voters in Punjab to vote for badlav (change).

In response to AAP’s ballot slogan, SAD, Punjab’s oldest political social gathering that turned 100 final yr, began a web based marketing campaign, Punjab First and ‘10 saal vikas de, vishwas de’, reminding voters of the event works in Punjab underneath its earlier regime.

Congress initially had a lacklustre on-line presence however as soon as it chosen Charanjit Singh Channi as its chief ministerial candidate, it positioned its narrative round ‘Congress Dubara’ (Congress once more) and ‘Sadda Channi Sadda CM‘ (Our Channi our CM), specializing in 111 days of the Channi authorities.

Later it additionally launched “Ghar Ghar challi gall, Channi karda masle hal” (There’s a buzz in each family that Channi solves all issues) and ‘Congress Hello Aayegi’.

In response to all, the BJP-led entrance launched the ballot slogan ‘Nawan Punjab Bhajpa De Naal’ (New Punjab is with BJP).

Historically, the BJP in Punjab was a celebration of city Hindus and was a junior companion of SAD for over 25 years earlier than the passage of farm legal guidelines when each events parted methods.

This time, it fielded Sikh candidates in over 25 seats because the social gathering is contesting 3 times extra seats than it used to contest right here.

It has fielded candidates in 73 constituencies whereas Captain Amarinder’s Punjab Lok Congress and Sukhbir Dhindsa’s SAD (Sanyukt), a faction of Congress and Akali Dal, which is contesting the remaining 44 seats.

If slogans weren’t sufficient, the meme struggle between political events grooved the viewers.

It began with AAP’s meme, taking up Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and chief minister Channi with the track ‘Dil da mamla hai dilbar’ within the background, quickly after the announcement of its candidate Bhagwant Mann.

In response, Congress launched a meme primarily based on a superhero movie by which Channi, Sidhu, Sunil Jakhar and Rahul Gandhi are proven as totally different characters.

Channi as Thor Odin rises excessive into the sky with the background voice of ‘Hun ni Bach de Tussi Kithe hai Kejriwal, Modi’ (You can not be saved now, the place are Kejriwal and Modi.)

In the meantime, the farmers’ social gathering, Sanyukt Samaj Manch (SSM), has nonetheless not acquired the general public’s acceptance on the bottom.

Conflict of identities, polarisation and popularism

After the year-long farmers’ protest, it was perceived that the main focus of the election can be centred round these points. Nonetheless, the most recent election has been confined to identification and caste politics.

This was sharpened after Congress fielded Channi, Punjab’s first Dalit chief minister, as its candidate, in an try and consolidate the Dalit vote financial institution within the state.

In response, AAP has been making repeated makes an attempt to woo Punjabi Hindus by questioning Congress’s transfer to dump its Hindu chief Sunil Jakhar.

Akali Dal, however, has well positioned itself as a celebration of each Hindus and Sikhs, but it additionally remained caught to its tried and examined Sikh ‘Panth’ politics with a purpose to retain its peasantry vote financial institution.

The BJP has not but declared its chief ministerial candidate and is searching for votes on Modi’s title.

Individually, gurus and saints heading totally different deras additionally turned essential after political leaders made beelines for them.

Channi spent a evening and slept on the ground at Dera Sachkhand at Ballan close to Jalandhar, giving out a message to its followers, particularly Dalits. Earlier than Modi shared an image with the chief of Radha Soami Satsang, AAP co-convener of Punjab Raghav Chadha spent a day on the Dera headquarter in Beas. Dera Sacha Sauda of Sirsa in Haryana has a big affect within the Malwa area immediately got here into the ballot limelight after its convicted chief was launched on furlough simply forward of polls. The area has 69 of the 117 seats within the meeting.

Solely final month, candidates of various political events took half at Salabatpura, which is the most important centre of the dera in Bathinda district.

Amid all this, the events didn’t even launch ballot manifestos on time.

Whereas Congress launched its imaginative and prescient doc on the final day of the marketing campaign on Friday, February 18, SAD launched it solely on February 15, 5 days earlier than voting. BJP’s manifesto solely got here two days in the past, February 13.

In response to a political analyst, a delayed launch of the ballot manifestos suited events, given their observe file of governance and efficiency in earlier regimes.

In BJP’s and SAD’s ballot manifesto, the main focus has been to entice voters with freebies like free electrical energy and low cost loans to kids.

Then again, Congress promised one lakh authorities jobs, Rs 1100 per 30 days to girls, and eight free cooking fuel cylinders per yr and promised to finish liquor, and sand mafia.

Earlier AAP promised a number of ensures, promising Rs 1,000 per 30 days to each lady above 18 years of age, free electrical energy as much as 300 items.

Extra candidates

In 2017, a complete of 1,145 candidates had been within the fray for 117 meeting seats. This time, a complete of 1,304 candidates are within the contest that together with two transgenders and 93 girls, whereas 1,209 candidates are males.

Amongst all of the candidates, 9 candidates are 25 and 6 candidates are above 80, of which 94-year-old Parkash Singh Badal contesting from Lambi in Sri Muktsar Sahib is the oldest one.

There are a complete of 21.4 million registered voters within the state for these elections, out of which 11.2 million are male, 10.2 million feminine whereas 5 million voters are above the age of 80.

The Election Fee has arrange 24,740 polling stations in 14,684 areas, out of which 2,013 polling stations on 1,051 polling areas are recognized as crucial. All polling cubicles can be coated underneath webcasting on polling day.