Sir,
The humiliating defeat of the BJP and the Akalis in Punjab civic body polls is not merely a small political happening of the state politics, but is a significant one for the national politics of the country. Though, making a clean sweep by the Congress winning six of the seven municipal corporations and emerging as the single largest party in the seventh, is a great boost to the Congress in the state, it has a potential push up the morale of the Congress workers in other states as well.
These elections were held amid farmers’ protest against the three farm laws enacted by the BJP led NDA Government at the Centre that has also got the four labour codes passed by the parliament and subsequently notified. Labour rules are being framed, the draft of which are by and large perceived as anti-worker. It is also to be noted that the elections were held in the urban areas, which are either the market towns for agricultural products or industrial towns, and thereby the results reflect sentiment of three sections of the society – the people involved in the agri-market, the working class involved in business and industry, and the people adversely affected by the vitiated socio-economic environment.
The results are certainly a big boost for Congress in the state ahead of assembly polls, and a huge setback for the BJP and SAD, however, it has lessons for other states too, and also for the country as a whole.
Gyan Pathak
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