“Adding to the absence of the important campaigners like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Manish Tewari, and a few others in the Punjab polls, ex-cricketer Sidhu’s scanty participation outside Amritsar can be unfavourable for Congress.”
Election campaigns have been a crucial part of the whole election process. Campaigning is done in a democratic country to present a clear view of the parties participating, the reason as to why they’re partaking, and for letting the people know in what way they would benefit by electing the particular candidate.
Congress, a leading political party in India, is known for its vigorous campaigning with acclaimed personalities like Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, and many more.
However, this year has seen some star campaigners’ absence or less participation like Manmohan Singh, Ashok Gehlot, and a few more. In addition to this, ex-cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu’s charm is missing in the Punjab polls as he is trying to win over the somber Amritsar polls.
“Every election is determined by the people who show up.”- Larry J Sabato.
The list of star campaigners for the Punjab vicinity for the coming elections caused quite a furor among many. Two of the well-known individuals, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Manish Tewari, weren’t on the list.
It was reasonably surprising as the two were the star campaigners of last year and had done a good job comparatively. The reason behind this could be Azad campaigning for the UP Polls. However, the public believes it is due to a few politically apparent reasons.
What is the ‘obvious’ reason?
G-23 is a self-proclaimed reformist party within Congress. Both Azad and Tewari are a part of this rebel group. In line with this, last year, Tewari had written to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 requesting changes in the organizational processes within the party. Many believe Tewari was dropped from the list because of this, and the ‘many’ includes Tewari himself.
”I am not surprised my name isn’t there. The reasons are in the public domain. I am not upset either; I have been a Congressman for 40 years.”, said Tewari when asked about this. His tweet read, “I would have been pleasantly surprised if it would have been the other way around. The reasons are also no state secret.”
Sidhu had retired from his cricket career to become a congressman and is a state party unit chief. In 2017, Sidhu had played an essential role in upping the Congress prospects even though Captain Amarinder Singh was leading it. This time, he is campaigning for Amritsar polls, and his oratory skills are not causing much of an effect there.
Conclusion
Other than this, a few other noted campaigners like Sunil Jakhar, former Punjab Congress unit chief, have virtually withdrawn from active politics.
These continuous happening could be disruptive to the campaigning process in the coming elections. Let’s hope Congress manages to get it all together as there is not much time left for the election process to begin.
Edited by: Mahi Gupta
Published by: Vishakha Verma
