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With the sound of upcoming assembly elections in the politics of Punjab, the game of check-mate has become very aggressive. The internal dispute of Punjab Congress, which has always been struggling with factionalism and internal strife, has once again come to a complete crossroads. The party seems to be torn apart in front of Bhupesh Baghel, the in-charge sent by the Central High Command. While veterans like former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa have openly rebelled to remove state president Amarinder Singh Raja Vading, this discord has given the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a big and unexpected opportunity in the politics of the state.
Raja Vading vs Channi faction: Why Congress stalwarts are bent on a one-on-one war
The main root of the controversy is the recent organizational reshuffle made by the Congress high command and the decision to appoint Raja Vading as the state president again. Charanjit Singh Channi and his supporting leaders believe that the party cannot win the upcoming elections under the leadership of Raja Vading. Due to this resentment, the group of Channi and Randhawa openly boycotted the important meetings of in-charge Bhupesh Baghel and raised the alarm of rebellion against their own party by holding separate parallel meetings. Senior MP Manish Tiwari has also been kept out of these committees, due to which a major Hindu face of the party and his supporting section are also deeply angry with the leadership.
Why is this discord in Congress proving to be a ‘golden chance’ for BJP?
Amidst the weakening of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab and the growing anti-incumbency trend against the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), BJP is trying to establish itself as a strong alternative in the state. In such a situation, the disintegration of the main opposition party Congress is working as a lifesaver for BJP. BJP’s national spokespersons immediately came on the front foot and started scathing attacks on Rahul Gandhi’s leadership and organizational stability of Congress. BJP is succeeding in setting the narrative among the public that how will a party which cannot handle itself and its leaders, give a stable and secure government to Punjab.
The meeting of Sukhjinder Randhawa and Amit Shah increased the heartbeat of Congress.
Amidst this entire drama, the biggest political shock came when veteran Congress leader and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. Although Randhawa described this meeting as related to law and order and border security of Punjab, but shrewd players of politics know very well what the meaning of such meetings is just before the elections. Since this meeting, speculations are being made that if the Congress high command does not persuade the rebels, then many big and powerful faces of the Congress may switch sides and join BJP.
BJP will get direct benefit from slipping Dalit and Hindu vote bank.
Talking about Geographical and Social Equations, Dalit and Hindu voters play a very decisive role in Punjab. Due to the sidelining of Charanjit Singh Channi, a large Dalit section of the state may get separated from the Congress, whose inclination has been seen increasing towards BJP in recent times. At the same time, due to the neglect of a strong Hindu leader like Manish Tiwari, about 38 percent Hindu vote bank in the urban areas of Punjab can also go directly from the hands of Congress to BJP. If this happens, then BJP can get unprecedented political lead in all the three regions of Malwa, Manjha and Doaba.
Congress on the way to repeat history in 2022, BJP’s path becomes easier
Political analysts clearly believe that Congress is moving forward on the same suicidal path on which it had walked during the 2022 assembly elections. Then the fight between Captain Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu had ousted Congress from power and now this fight between Raja Vading vs Channi-Randhawa is ruining even the remaining hopes. This situation is very favorable for the opposition camp, especially the BJP, because in the absence of a strong and united opposition, the path to reach the pinnacle of power in Punjab seems to be much easier for the BJP.