CHANDIGARH: The infighting within the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress party in Punjab may leave some space for the smaller parties in the polls ahead. Analysts say the Manpreet Singh Badal-led People's Party of Punjab especially has a fighting chance.
"For anyone touched by the Anna Hazare campaign, the PPP seems one party in the fray that does not carry the baggage of corruption charges," says Chandigarh-based political analyst SP Singh.
Badal, a former finance minister and nephew of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, formed his own party after he was expelled from the ruling alliance over his opposition to state subsidies in the face of mounting debts.
Though the PPP will remain a minor player in most constituencies, it will nonetheless bag a significant number of votes, analysts say.
The Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party is also expected to have an influence in the four reserved seats of Jalandhar - Phillaur, Kartarpur, Adampur and Jalandhar West.
However, the party, whose late founder Kanshi Ram hailed from Punjab, should do much better in the state which has about 29% Dalits, analysts say. Jalandhar, with about 37.69% Dalits, is among the cities with the highest concentrations of the community.
"Doaba should have been the karmabhoomi of BSP leaders, since it is also the region where Kanshi Ram's birthplace lies, but that does not seem to be happening in the near future. It is high time Mayawati pays better attention to Punjab," says Singh.
Though the party has lost some of its better-known candidates to the other parties, it hopes to do well in Adampur, where its candidate Sukhvinder Singh Kotli Than Singh carries some weight. "In some of the constituencies, the wave is pro-BSP," claims Punjab BSP president Avtar Singh Karimpuri.
Analysts say the PPP can bank on a good show in Jalandhar Cantonment since it has roped in a Congress rebel, Rajinder Singh Baba Johl, as its candidate. It is a strategy that the PPP has adopted in several other constituencies as well.
"For anyone touched by the Anna Hazare campaign, the PPP seems one party in the fray that does not carry the baggage of corruption charges," says Chandigarh-based political analyst SP Singh.
Badal, a former finance minister and nephew of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, formed his own party after he was expelled from the ruling alliance over his opposition to state subsidies in the face of mounting debts.
Though the PPP will remain a minor player in most constituencies, it will nonetheless bag a significant number of votes, analysts say.
The Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party is also expected to have an influence in the four reserved seats of Jalandhar - Phillaur, Kartarpur, Adampur and Jalandhar West.
However, the party, whose late founder Kanshi Ram hailed from Punjab, should do much better in the state which has about 29% Dalits, analysts say. Jalandhar, with about 37.69% Dalits, is among the cities with the highest concentrations of the community.
"Doaba should have been the karmabhoomi of BSP leaders, since it is also the region where Kanshi Ram's birthplace lies, but that does not seem to be happening in the near future. It is high time Mayawati pays better attention to Punjab," says Singh.
Though the party has lost some of its better-known candidates to the other parties, it hopes to do well in Adampur, where its candidate Sukhvinder Singh Kotli Than Singh carries some weight. "In some of the constituencies, the wave is pro-BSP," claims Punjab BSP president Avtar Singh Karimpuri.
Analysts say the PPP can bank on a good show in Jalandhar Cantonment since it has roped in a Congress rebel, Rajinder Singh Baba Johl, as its candidate. It is a strategy that the PPP has adopted in several other constituencies as well.
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