The Gurdaspur verdict

SUNIL Jakhar has notched up an impressive victory margin in the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha byelection. It was, in many ways, an inconsequential election; the outcome does not make any substantial difference to the Lok Sabha numbers. In any case, the ruling parties tend to prevail in byelections and the Congress has registered an absolute victory. Still, a Congress defeat would have rendered the Amarinder Singh government deeply wounded; the Congress, it appears, has not yet run afoul of the voter; on the other hand, Punjab remains curiously indifferent to Narendra Modi’s charm and charisma.

Ever since 2014, a negative vote has been a recurring theme, contributing to a despondency among the voters over political choices. All major contestants in Gurdaspur had an opportunity to redeem themselves; all of them gave it a miss. The Congressmen, instead of pushing the “delivering CM” image of Capt Amarinder Singh that they have been trying to build, were content with sticking the sleaze charge on the rivals. The SAD, instead of demonstrating some humility in the wake of the Assembly drubbing, fielded the same old discredited and arrogant campaigners, who this time did not have the advantage of the “official machinery”. The BJP, in a constituency with a significant Hindu presence, could not prove it had anything other than Vinod Khanna’s star power for nearly the past two decades. The limits of its self-styled Chankayas and their political wizardry have been made evident.

The Gurdaspur contest is not without certain lessons. The Congress high command needs to sit up to the sharp divisions within the party, which required a leader from the other end of the state to come in and contest. AAP may try and register its presence the next time. The Akalis, of course, need to send some of their star leaders to the cleaners, and wake up to a new level of voter awareness, especially in the time of social media. But the most important and urgent lesson is for the BJP. It was its doings at the Centre — demonetisation and GST — that have actually handed the victory to Sunil Jakhar on a platter.