Punjab’s four major parties, including the ruling AAP, Congress, SAD, and BJP, are contesting the Lok Sabha elections independently. Notably, all three parties are without their prominent leaders who actively campaigned in previous elections. Despite being allies at the national level, AAP and Congress have opted against a coalition in Punjab. The SAD and BJP, former allies, have also parted ways due to the farmers’ agitation. AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal is absent as he is in jail in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann is spearheading the party’s campaign. The SAD is contesting without Parkash Singh Badal, its patriarch and former chief minister who passed away recently. His son, Sukhbir Badal, is handling the campaign. The Congress is missing former CM Captain Amarinder Singh, who joined the BJP. Former CM Charanjit Singh Channi has dismissed Amarinder’s absence, stating that “everybody has an expiry date.”
