Punjab polls: In Channi vs Mann, can Amarinder spring a surprise?

Punjab has seen it all in the last five years. From raging protests, separatist
dog whistling to frequent leadership changes, Punjab politics has made regular
national headlines. Consequently, the 2022 Assembly polls in Punjab will be
watched closely by political players across the country.

A state sharing its borders with Pakistan, Punjab has several
issues unique to the state. The cross-border drugs trade, unemployment, a
quickly-depleting groundwater table, all deserve to be electoral issues, which
for the large part they are. Although, political squabbles, both inter and
intra-party, drama, do take up a disproportionate amount of space.

Also Read | Channi will be Congress’ CM candidate for Punjab elections 2022: Rahul Gandhi

Punjab is the only state going to polls between
February and March which does not have an incumbent BJP government. The ruling
party at the Centre isn’t in fact among the top three players in this
Sikh-majority state. The contest in Punjab this year is primarily going to be
between the incumbent Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The 2017 Assembly elections had seen an enthusiastic
Congress, then led by Captain Amarinder Singh, won 77 out of the 117 seats. The
Aam Aadmi Party, which had made really tall claims exuding confidence about forming
government then, won 20 seats. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), in government at
the time, won 15 seats while the BJP won three.

Here is a list of five key constituencies to watch out
for in the Punjab Assembly elections 2022:

Chamkaur Sahib

Chamkaur Sahib in Punjab’s Rupnagar district essentially
holds the key to the Congress’ chances in the state. The Congress, in an
uncharacteristic move, announced a CM face for the Punjab polls, that of
sitting CM of Charanjit Singh Channi. Channi, 58, is Punjab’s first Dalit Sikh
chief minister.

Also Read | ED arrests Punjab CM’s nephew Bhupinder Singh, ahead of assembly polls

In 2017, Charanjit Singh Channi won the Chamkaur Sahib
seat with 42% of the vote, beating his namesake Dr Charanjit Singh of the Aam Aadmi
Party who won 33.53% of the vote. This year, the very same contest is going about
to repeat itself. The only difference is that the Punjab CM, media reports
indicate, will have to face a certain amount of anti-incumbency.

Amritsar (East)

In Amritsar (East), all eyes will be on Navjot Singh
Sidhu, the Punjab Congress chief. The cricketer-turned comedy show host-turned
politician cut his teeth into politics through the BJP. He then went on to
create his own front and finally joined the Congress in 2017. The
ever-ambitious Sidhu not only managed to manoeuvre his way to the top job of
the grand old party, he was instrumental is forcing Amarinder Singh out from
the CM post.

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His relationship with the new CM Charanjit Singh
Channi has also been fraught with tensions. Sidhu evidently wanted to be the CM
candidate in Punjab, but was not given the post. On Sunday, Navjot Singh Sidhu
will be on the ballot against AAP’s Jeevanjot Kaur and SAD’s Bikram Singh Majithia,
the brother-in-law of SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal. In 2017, Sidhu had won the
Amritsar East seat with 60.68% of the vote. BJP’s Rakesh Kumar Honey had come
in second.

Also Read | Is Sidhu okay with Channi as CM face? Here’s what a Congress MP said

Dhuri

From a comedy show judge to a stand-up-comic, Punjab
politics promises to have a funny bone. Bhagwant Mann, 48 and AAP’s chief
ministerial face in the Assembly polls, is the candidate to watch out for in
Dhuri. Mann is the primary challenger to sitting chief minister Charanjit Singh
Channi.

In 2017, the Dhuri seat had gone to the Congress’
Dalvir Singh Goldy who won 38.42% of the vote. AAP’s Jasvir Singh Jassi Sekhon was
a close second with 36.24% of the vote. In the 2022 Assembly elections, Mann
will be going up against sitting MLA Dalvir Singh Goldy.

Patiala

The Royal City of Patiala is known for the Patiala salwar
and the Patiala peg. Another highlight of the city is of course Captain
Amarinder Singh. The royal-turned-soldier-turned politician astute has had a
rough couple of years and will be vying to return to prominence.

Also Read | Amarinder replaced as his govt was being run by BJP from Delhi, says Priyanka

In Patiala, Amarinder Singh, who quit as Punjab CM
last year and then quit the Congress, will be contesting on the ticket of his
newly-formed party, the Punjab Lok Congress. The Punjab Lok Congress is
contesting the polls in alliance with the BJP. The 2017 Assembly polls saw
Amarinder Singh win the constituency with 68.98% of the vote. The key question
will be whether the Captain will be able to repeat the performance without Congress
backing him.

Pathankot

Pathankot connects Punjab to the picturesque hills of
Jammu and Kashmir. A region with a historic legacy, Pathankot was left reeling
after a terror attack in 2016. The candidate to watch out for in the Pathankot
Assembly constituency is Ashwani Kumar Sharma.

Sharma, 58, is the Punjab BJP chief. With the BJP in
Punjab facing a tough battle in the polls on account of the impact of the farm
protests, Ashwani Kumar Sharma’s performance will be definitive. Sharma is
going up against Congress’ Amit Vij.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, it was Anil Vij who
won the seat with 52.28% of the vote. Ashwani Kumar Sharma came in second with
42.12% of the vote.

Punjab goes to polls on Sunday. On the same day, Uttar
Pradesh will be polling for third of its seven-phase elections. Results of the
polls will be declared on March 10.