Leaders change parties, yesterday’s enemies become today’s allies, and voters are asked to renew their trust under another banner. But where, amid this volatility, are Punjab’s Spartans – leaders whose commitment to a public cause is above any changes in political circumstances? As Punjab approaches the 2027 assembly elections, the shifting political loyalties in the state demand scrutiny.
Within a year, he belonged to three parties. Captain Amarinder Singh, after leaving the Congress and forming the Punjab Lok Congress, merged his party with the BJP that September. Changing parties can be an act of conviction. A leader may confront a serious policy disagreement, an undemocratic organisation or a leadership unwilling to listen. Remaining in a party at any cost is no guarantee of integrity.
Days earlier, on October 25, former Congress MLA Raminder Singh Awla joined the Shiromani Akali Dal. His association with Jalalabad has particular significance for the Akalis, given its chief Sukhbir Singh Badal’s electoral history there – a decade-long stint representing the seat in Punjab’s legislative assembly from 2009 to 2019 and then losing to AAP from there in 2022. Sushil Kumar Rinku moved from the Congress to AAP in 2023, then joined the BJP in March 2024 alongside AAP legislator Sheetal Angural. Sunil Jakhar left Congress for BJP in 2022. Manpreet Singh Badal travelled from the Akali Dal through his own People’s Party of Punjab and the Congress to the BJP in 2023. Pargat Singh moved from the Akali Dal to the Congress in 2016.
A politician who condemned a policy yesterday should explain why it becomes acceptable among new colleagues today. Claims of principle must be measured against subsequent conduct. Nor does assembling influential figures across Majha, Doaba and Malwa necessarily produce a common purpose for Punjab. That requires a programme which addresses regional concerns and explains difficult choices. Issues such as agriculture, water, employment, public services and justice demand more than declarations of concern. Voters need to know what a party proposes, how it will deliver, and which commitments it is prepared to defend when they become politically costly. Voters should ask for evidence that Punjab will grow stronger under their government.
Before 2027, parties will repeatedly announce that they are growing stronger.
