Punjab Assembly Elections 2012

Punjab State is under process to elect 14^th state assembly, which contains 117 legislator members and out of it 34 seats are reserved for SC but no seat reserved for ST in the state, detail of electoral schedule is –

• Issue of Notification – 05 January,2012 
• Last Date for making nominations – 12 January,2012 
• Scrutiny of nominations – 13 January,2012 
• Last Date for withdrawal of candidature – 16 January,2012 
• Date of Poll – 30 January,2012 
• Counting of Votes – 06 March,2012
• Single day poll in all the 117 assembly constituencies

Below coded alliance/ parties are contesting the elections and one of it or with support of others are going to form the next government in the state –

• Shiromani Akali Dal / Bhartiya Janta Party 
• Indian National Congress 
• Sanjha Morcha 
• Bahujan Samaj Party 
• Independents which include dissidents both from SAD / BJP alliance and Indian National Congress party 

Punjab state divided into three regions –                    

• Doaba  -  26 seats
• Majha   -  27 seats
• Malwa  -  64 seats

It is the history of state that no party/ alliance has return to power second consecutive time after ruling the state, and in spite of  the fact that state is just under the period of  five days voting time but still there is no clear wave in favor of any party or alliance whether it is ruling or opposition party, but no party or alliance letting any chance go by claiming that they have full support of state public thus will form next government, this time Akali party is fighting the elections not on the religion issue but on the issue of development which they are claiming that state did during the rule of their governance along with BJP in the 13^th  state assembly, on other hand Indian National Congress is denying it completely. It was believe in the past that Manpreet Badal’s party P.P.P. can emerge as third front in the elections but now after some opinion polls( not often turns into reality) showing not major effect in the formation of 14^th Punjab State Assembly. Opinion polls held in the state by different agencies were during the period from 7^th January to16^th January,2012 –

• Indian National Congress -  60 to 63 seats 
• SAD / BJP – 50 to 53 seats 
• Others – 06 seats

Manifesto’s released by the major parties of state are full of populist assurances, like –

• Laptops to the students 
• Free electricity to state farmers 
• Free Gas connections to poor families 
• Free plots of five Marla’s to landless poor families 
• Free education up to graduation to girls of state and to the brilliant boys of dalit families

Question rises’ here if  state’s exchequer has capacity to fulfill the offerings or it will prove merely a election gimmick which political parties/alliance make during the time of elections to woo the voters and pull public votes towards their parties, for this 4^th March,2012 is the day when public mandate will unfold and give any party/ alliance to rule the state for next five years terms and then later on it will be interesting to see how much leaders of ruling party /alliance keep their words of their concern manifesto’s plus take the state on to the path of prosperity whom they are announcing right now.