Ludhiana | Candidates wait for Punjab poll outcome with bated breath

Anticipation, uncertainty, hope, excitement and nervousness hang heavily in the air a day before the votes polled for the Punjab assembly elections are to be counted. With multi-cornered contests, and brand new permutations and combinations being seen in almost all the 14 segments in the district, it is anyone’s game.

There is not much the candidates can do at this point, but keep faith, and therefore several candidates were seen visiting religious places, and convening meetings with their counting agents.

With the SAD-BJP and LIP-AAP alliances breaking up, it would be interesting to see how it affects the parties’ individual prospects. The BJP has partnered up with the Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) and SAD (Sanyukt), while SAD (Badal) has entered into an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Besides, Sanyukt Samaj Marcha (SSM) has also fielded its candidates.

Even though the exit polls have predicted a bleak future for most candidates, every candidate is hoping against hope, and all political parties are exuding confidence about forming the government this time around. Surveys predict that Congress will not return to power, and neither will the SAD-BSP be able to get a majority in the house. However, the candidates of respective parties remained unperturbed, dismissing the exit polls as “fake and manipulated.”

Former Cabinet minister Gurkirat Kotli, who is Congress’ candidate from Khanna, said, “We contested the elections on the basis of developmental works carried out by the Congress government and believe that the voters will certainly re-elect the Congress.”

Similarly, former Cabinet minister and SAD candidate from Ludhiana West Maheshinder Singh Grewal, said, “We are not worried about the results and the SAD-BSP will form the government in the state. We will also win in Ludhiana West. People are fed up of the corrupt Congress, and AAP will get fewer seats than last time. Don’t go by what the exit polls say, everything will become clear once the results are declared.”

AAP candidates, on the other hand, have been bolstered by the exit poll predictions. Meeting with counting agents, AAP candidate from Ludhiana (Central) Ashok Prashar Pappi said, “Our victory is certain. People in the state want a change and exit poll predictions have made it clear. AAP will form the government in the state and will work for the betterment of the state and its people.”

The BJP-PLC alliance too has not been disheartened by the exit poll results. BJP’s Ludhiana North candidate Parveen Bansal said, “The exit poll predictions are wrong, and the BJP will emerge as a strong party in the state. Not only will we win the Ludhiana North seat, we are well placed in other segments across the district as well.”

At a time when all eyes are on the Atam Nagar seat, where friends-turned-foes LIP candidate Simarjeet Singh Bains and Congress candidate Kamaljit Karwal are contesting the polls, LIP’s Ludhiana South candidate Balwinder Bains said LIP win will both the seats with a good margin.

He said, “Simarjeet and I met the public at our offices as usual on Wednesday. There is no doubt that we will win both seats. The exit poll predictions are wrong .”