Akali Dal releases list of 64 candidates; Sukhbir Singh Badal to contest from Jalalabad

On Monday, the Shiromani Akali Dal became the first party in Punjab to declare its first list of candidates for the Assembly polls due early next year. After breaking ties with BJP over the passage of three farm laws, SAD formed an alliance with BSP in June whereby the latter will contest only 20 out 117 seats. The list of 64 candidates features party president and Lok Sabha MP Sukhbir Singh Badal who shall contest the election from Jalalabad.

Former Ministers Tota Singh, Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Daljit Singh Cheema and Sharanjit Singh Dhillon have been given a poll ticket from Dharamkot, Zira, Rupnagar and Sahnewal respectively. Meanwhile, SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal's son-in-law Adaish Partap Singh Kairon has been fielded from the Patti constituency. The party has also put up candidates in Ludhiana East, Ludhiana Central, Ludhiana West, Fazilka, Rajpura, Amritsar North, Amritsar West, Sujanpur, Jalandhar Central and Mukerian, seats that were traditionally contested by BJP. 

The political situation in Punjab

In the 2017 Punjab Assembly election, Congress won a whopping 77 seats in the 117-member House, whereas Shiromani Akali Dal could win only 18 seats. On the other hand, AAP emerged as the second-largest party with 20 seats and failed to bear fruit as it could win in only 54 constituencies. Despite winning a huge mandate, infighting erupted in the Congress camp leading to Amritsar East MLA and former swashbuckling batsman Navjot Singh Sidhu's resignation from the Cabinet in July 2019. While the former cricketer continued to be an MLA, he maintained a distance from party activities.

Though CM Amarinder Singh and Sidhu attempted to resolve their differences over tea on March 17, 2021, a positive outcome proved to be elusive. The ex-BJP MP repeatedly began to attack the state government and the CM over the purported delayed justice in the incidents of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib and the subsequent police firing incident. To end factionalism in the party's Punjab unit, Congress president Sonia Gandhi formed a committee comprising Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge, ex-Delhi MP JP Agarwal, and AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab Harish Rawat on May 28.

Since then, the panel met multiple stakeholders including MLAs, ministers and the CM to ascertain their views ahead of the 2022 Assembly Elections. Ignoring Singh's protests, Gandhi appointed Sidhu as the Punjab Congress President on July 18. It is perceived that undermining the sitting Chief Minister and the constant bickering between the rival camps might have an adverse impact on Congress' poll prospects giving hope to AAP.