Cong faces tough fight from SAD, AAP in Doaba

Jalandhar: The ruling Congress faces a daunting task as it looks to retain its electoral tally in the Dalit-dominated Doaba region of Punjab where it confronts the twin challenges of the SAD's welloiled machinery and the AAP's growing popularity particularly among the youth.

Though many in the region express their liking for Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, the first Dalit to hold the post in the state, calling him "apna banda" (our man), not much groundswell for his party was visible. The BJP, which traditionally enjoys support in a few urban pockets, and the SAD are making all-out efforts to reap dividends in the fertile Doaba region in the February 20 polls.

The AAP, which broke the monotonicity of the Punjab politics oscillating between the Congress and the SAD, is being seen as a harbinger of change by the youth in the region. The Doaba region, spanning across four districts of Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr and Kapurthala, has 23 Assembly seats in the 117-member House.

Malwa (69 seats) and Majha (25) account for the rest. In the last Assembly elections in 2017, the Congress had won 15 seats in Doaba, the SAD, in alliance with the BJP, got five, and the AAP managed just two. With the aim to further strengthen its standing among the Dalit community, which constitutes more than 31 per cent of the state's electorate, the Congress leadership announced Channi as its chief ministerial face, despite strong claims of its state unit chief and popular leader Navjot Singh Sidhu.

People in the region are, however, divided on whether the Congress' move will yield desired results. The election schedule of Punjab was changed from February 14 as it was clashing with Ravidas Jayanti, signifying the influence of the community.