Drug trade and addiction, corruption, land mafia, unemployment among youth, farmers’ suicides, and, more recently, desecration incidents are the key issues that are dominating the Punjab political discourse as the state goes to polls on February 4. For two successive terms, Punjab has been governed by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP alliance with Parkash Singh Badal at the helm as chief minister. His son Sukhbir Singh Badal is deputy chief minister and SAD president.
While Punjab has mostly seen bipolar fights with SAD and Congress being traditional rivals, the AAP or Aam Aadmi Party, buoyed by its performance in the Lok Sabha elections, is the new entrant in state politics.
The ruling Akali Dal’s partnership with the BJP has ensured its stronghold over the state since 2007. The decade-long rule, however, has been mired in controversies and violence with political pundits ruling out the return of the alliance.
