The battlelines would be drawn in Punjab for the Assembly election due January next on the historic Maghi Mela (a religious fair of Sikhs celebrated every year in January) at Muktsar. All three major political parties would hold parallel political rallies on January 14.
The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the Congress and the AAP are all working to gather huge crowds for their respective rallies.
The AAP is trying hard to galvanise their supporters to ensure large gatherings as the party’s national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal would preside over the rally to set the party’s agenda for the election year. “The AAP is preparing at zonal, circle, Assembly and booth-levels to leave no man having even remote sympathy with the party untouched. The party has fixed targets for all the party leaders of the youth wing, women wing and the kisan wing. We expect more than two lakh people to attend the rally to be organised on Bathinda-Muktsar road,” said party MP Bhagwant Mann. The MP has been going from village to village for the meetings.
The Congress is also leaving no stone unturned to prepare for its rally in Muktsar. Congress MLA Kewal Singh Dhillon, who is in charge for the rally, said, “People are enthusiastic about the rally. They are especially eager to hear Captain Amarinder Singh and will reach in large numbers.” He said partymen were working hard for the rally which would prove to be a turning point.
Already, the Congress has become aggressive since Capt. Singh took over as state Congress president. He has already promised that he would tackle drug smuggling within four weeks if the Congress is voted to power in Punjab.
The ruling SAD, which is in the last year of its second term, is also trying to gauge the mood the public. Recently, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal said that “people to forgive them for their mistakes and ignore their shortcomings, if any”. The Maghi Mela would be its chance to judge the mood of the public and the party is preparing for the rally. “The SAD rank and file is busy in visiting villages to mobilise people for the rally. The party has changed the venue of the rally to nearby village Rupana and has selected a big chunk of land,” said SAD leader Sikandar Singh Maluka.
