In Punjab, a look at key factors why Congress had last laugh

Pushed to the wall, partly because of the exodus of its leaders to the BJP, and also due to corruption cases slapped by the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government against a slew of its leaders, the Congress put its best foot forward in Punjab in the Lok Sabha elections.

Coming two years after its poor showing in the Assembly elections when the Congress could win only 18 of the total 117 seats, the party decided in the Lok Sabha polls against aligning with the AAP, its ally in other states as constituents of the INDIA bloc, and opted to fight on its own steam.

Here are some of the factors that helped the Congress put up a good show in the Lok Sabha polls, leading in seven of the total 13 seats.

The Congress chose to fight on the front foot, fielding its key leaders including former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, state party chief

Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, and former deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. These prominent leaders undertook vigorous and dynamic campaigns in their respective constituencies, getting their supporters to rally behind them.

Known for its factionalism and infighting, the Congress managed to overcome these problems to present a united front in the polls. With over a dozen of its leaders facing various charges registered by the AAP government, the party came together like never before. As Gurjeet Singh Aujla, the party’s candidate from Amritsar, put it, “We are united for a bigger cause.”

The public disillusionment with the AAP dispensation played a significant role in the Congress’s success. Dissatisfied with the Mann government’s performance, many voters, who had shifted their allegiance to the AAP during the 2022 Assembly elections, returned to the grand old party.

The Congress was boosted by the