High-flying leaders of the Congress and Akali Dal have bitten the dust in the Punjab polls as voters were fed up with the rampant corruption and false promises that they have been making. 

The thumping majority of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which has come to power for the first time and the rout of the ruling Congress, with Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi losing from both the seats that he had contested, shows the voters were in a punishing mood.

Channi was involved in a sand mining scam and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on the residence of his nephew recovering Rs 10 crore in hard cash, gold worth Rs 24 lakh, and a Rolex watch priced at Rs 12 lakh tarnished his image in the run-up to the polls.

The fact that there was considerable infighting within the Congress and Channi and state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu were at loggerheads for the top post also did not go down well with the voters. Sindhu, too, has ended up losing the election. 

There was all-round confusion in Congress during the allotment of party tickets with allegations of giving tickets for cash to tainted candidates.

The Akal Dal has also been comprehensively defeated with the party’s patriarch Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sikhbir Singh Badal being defeated in their respective constituencies for the first time.

They could not clear themselves from the charge of inaction in the cases of  sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib and providing patronage to mining, transport, drug, and cable mafias.

The Badals family was accused of having run the state road transport department to the ground and promoting their own buses in lucrative routes in what Captain Amarinder Singh called was “a conflict of interest.”

The drug mafia had also thrived during the Akali rule and Bikram Singh Majithia, a close relative of the Badals,  is being investigated for alleged connections with drug lords. He has also suffered defeat in the Amritsar (East) constituency.

Besides, the arrogant behaviour of Sukhbir Badal did not win the party many friends.

Punjab Lok Congress President Captain Amarinder Singh's debacle can be attributed to his four and a half years of non-performance as Punjab Chief Minister. The rampant corruption and free run for the sand and liquor mafias besides his inaccessibility to the people led to his defeat.

Also read:  Punjab CM Channi declares sharp fall in income, Sukhbir Badal remains richest leader in state