Did Farm Stir Dent BJP’s Future? More Than Saffron Party, How Punjab Civic Body Polls Harmed SAD
Was it the farmer’s anger or loss of an alliance partner that resulted in the BJP registering a disastrous performance in the recently held civic body polls? This is what the party leadership is trying to find answers to as they begin carrying out the post poll analysis.
As per the state election commission civic data, the BJP registered a vote share of six per cent in the 8 municipal corporations and over 100 nagarpalikas in the state. Interestingly, the party, in the 2017 assembly elections had managed a lesser 5.3 per cent vote share.
Noticeably, in the last assembly elections the party was in an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) which had registered a vote share of 25.3 per cent. Together, the two parties had grabbed a vote share of 30.6 per cent. The Congress in the 2017 elections had captured 38.5 per cent vote share. In these civic body polls the SAD also registered a dismal 10 per cent vote share.
Though the vote share of both the BJP and the SAD was dismal but it was the latter whose vote share has dropped drastically than the former. “If you consider the vote share in assembly elections we got little over five per cent but this time we have gained, even if it’s marginal. This is despite so many factors working against us like the farm laws and also state government using administrative machinery against us,” claimed the General Secretary, Punjab BJP, Subhash Sharma.
Also, the Independents seem have got a significant vote share during the civic body elections. In last assembly elections, they managed to grab a mere two per cent vote share. “A sizeable number of those independents who won were either our rebels or those who out of fear chose to contest as Independents. This could have been our vote share in normal times,” commented a leader.
BJP leaders maintain that despite critics predicting a doomsday scenario for the party, the increased vote share had fuelled hopes of a not so bleak scene as a run up to the state assembly polls due next year. “The breaking of alliance was a major factor. We haven’t ceded our ground. Our vote share is intact. Looking ahead, we can only work upon this and even as we go solo, we have lots of pluses when it comes to the assembly elections. We can only improve our vote share,” commented a senior leader.
The party sources also hoped that rather than its former ally the SAD, the BJP can emerge as a principal opposition party to the Congress. “The AAP is in a mess. They couldn’t even encash on the farmer’s anger. So they have been rejected. The SAD has lost huge vote share. Its only use who have gained vote share apart from Congress,’’ asserted a senior leader.
