CHANDIGARH: The Congress party in Punjab is shell shocked over the outcome of Punjab assembly election results. The Congress party however seems to have performed better than predictions of critics and less than the expectations of Congress leaders including Captain Amarinder Singh.

For the first time again a clear rural-urban and regional divide was seen in the state where BJP has reemerged a new political force and Malwa the SAD bastion has turned away from them and Congress strong holds in Doaba and Majha have gone the other way.

Though, it may be shocking for the Congress camp but political observers felt that they have been paying the price of their follies. Various reasons including silent incumbency factor prevailing all over the state may be responsible for the defeat of Congress, but the open support extended by Dera Sacha Sauda of Sirsa to Congress candidates appeared to have boomeranged.

It is understood that dera’s support had helped Akalis to mobilize Sikh voters, particularly the Jat Sikhs into its fold. The polarization of Sikh votes seems to have hit the Congress hard all over the state. Even in Malwa where Congress has won 36 seats out of 63 seats, the rural voters stayed with Akalis.

The Sacha Sauda followers might have have tilted the scales in Malwa but Congress had paid heavy price in other parts of the state for little gain in the Malwa. The Sacha Sauda followers are concentrated in Malwa belt alone but the polling pattern thropugh out the state was same. For the first time a record 76 percent polling was recorded in Punjab. The turn out itself was an indication of anti-incumbency factor that clubbed with strong reaction to Congress party’s hobnobbing with Dera Sacha Sauda.

In Majha belt Akalis almost made a clean sweep and won 24 out of 27 seats . The three Congress candidates who have won are Sukh Sarkaria (Ajnala), Om Parkash Soni (Amritsar South) both in Amritsar district and Partap Singh Bajwa Kahnuwan in Gurdaspur district. In Tarn Taran district Congress has lost all the five seats.

In Doaba region Congress could win only three out of 25 seats and all the sitting MLA’s and former minister have lost except for Amarjit Singh Samra from Nakodar. Two Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Sukhjinder Kaur Rana are first timers.

The Congress leadership appeared to have failed to see the strong anti-incumbency factor and was misguided by heavy crowds that flanked Captain Amarinder Singh during his Vikas Yatra before the elections. The crowds were apparently manipulated by local politicians.  Chief Minister was rather appalled at the huge waiving crowds. Even the large number of people turned out at the Congress party rallies. But these crowds shied away at the time of voting, leaving Congress in the lurch.

The Congress party has harped on development works done by it but ignored the other side of governance which shaded the Congress party in poor light. The agenda of corruption on which Congress had stormed into power, slipped into the hands of Akalis and they paid back in the same coin. The state government understood to have failed to address the grievances of large section of people including employees.

Chief Minsiter Captain Amarinder has rightly said that he was caught unaware by the rural-urban divide. The urban citizen largely the traders have voted against Congress to give mileage to BJP. The same voters had pushed the SAD-BJP alliance out of power in 2002. The rural vote bank of SAD had remained intact in 2002 but it was BJP voters who voted for Congress.

Running a government in Punjab would not be less than rope walk for Parkash Singh Badal who has to take along BJP and face flak from strong opposition by Congress. The Congress has won 44 seats while SAD has 48 and BJP 19. The independents have five seats who are expected to support SAD. Fulfilling the tall promises made by SAD would be big task for SAD-BJP government.