Politics, like evolution, is a continuous process. Introspections, discarding of old and critical practices, changes according to the demands of time and people and adoption of new procedures and practices make politics relevant to the times.
Changes need not be same or uniform in their political horizon. Some parties may be dead set against dynastic politics while others grasp for fresh blood by opting for one family one ticket principle.
Still, some parties may be keen putting age bar on its leaders or limiting the terms or tenures of office-bearers, others may continue to value experience and seniority.
One of major criticism of some of regional parties, including the oldest – Shiromani Akali Dal – has been the domination of one prominent family.
The Shiromani Akali Dal emerged on the political horizon of the country as an offshoot of farmers’ struggle during the British rule in the country. In the year of its centennial celebrations, it was virtually pushed to the margins as it could win only three Assembly seats in a House of 117 in the 2022 Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections. Its long association or alliance with the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), too, vanquished because of the controversial laws the NDA government enacted to control the farm sector.
The two long-time political partners are back on the table discussion modalities for reviving the alliance well in time before the process of filing of nomination papers for 13 Lok Sabha seats from the State starts.
The BJP leadership has reportedly been suggesting that adopting of rule of one family one ticket would do its probable alliance partner a lot of good. Once the SAD Leadership accedes to this suggestion, it would also be minimising points for criticism from its workers as they would find more opportunities to be party nominees in the coming electoral battles.
It would be premature to infer that the SAD leadership adopt the formula of one family one ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Fighting for its survival, the SAD has limited options. Either ignore such submissive, irrespective of their source, and go ahead with its own policies and programmes or wait for the naturalisation of the political process as it had been happening in the past.
In case, the SAD decides to field Harsimrat Kaur Badal to defend her Bathinda seat for the fourth consecutive time and the party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal gives a pass to the ensuing political battle, thee 2024 Lok Sabha election would be the first battle of ballot without either of two Badals – Parkash Singh and Sukhbir Singh. The only exception was 1992 when the SAD decided to boycott the elections.
At that time, Beant Singh led Congress to nearly two-third majority with a little over 22 percent polling in the State. One breakaway group of Akali Dal, then led by Capt. Amarinder Singh, contested, and won three seats. This included win without contest for Capt. Amarinder Singh from one of two seats he contested while he lost his security deposit from the second – Kharar – where his opponent was Harnek Singh Gharuan of Congress.
How things work out in the Shiromani Akali Dal in the next 24 to 48 hours would be anybody’s guess?
(Prabhjot Singh is a veteran journalist with over three decades of experience of 14 years with Reuters News and 30 years with The Tribune Group, covering a wide spectrum of subjects and stories. He has covered Punjab and Sikh affairs for more than three decades besides covering seven Olympics and several major sporting events and hosting TV shows.)
