No harm if AAP, Congress join forces in Punjab

Remaining unreconciled to a coalition may not be a great idea for both the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress in Punjab.

What sense will it make for either to field a candidate to take another's vote, only to the advantage of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP alliance?

None.

I agree the AAP is a front-runner, as of now, in the triadic run for power in Punjab.

It's also true that Captain Amarinder Singh is a well-meaning man, with traits of the fictional Lone Ranger that endears him to the local psyche.

Except for a handful of rivals from the Akali and Congress camps, none survived as long politically as chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has.

To put it this way, Badal Sr and his companion-turned-foe-turned-companion, the late Gurcharan Singh Tohra, demolished opponents from the state's political landscape.

The same SAD is now led by deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

He's the chief strategist of his party for the 2017 vote.

And when it comes to strategising, Badal Jr is a no-nonsense man.

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He and his tight coterie decide everything, from candidates to key seats to campaign.

Not many in the SAD or among its committed cadre question the orders of their party president.

Call it dictatorial, but this perceived dictatorship ensured no other leader in Punjab could ever match the stature of Parkash Singh Badal.

The AAP, on the other hand, has its support base largely among two sets of workers in the state. They are either mainly drawn from the left-leaning lot - which the Sikhs had a bitter experience with during insurgency - or are power-hungry activists.

At the national level, the BJP has vowed a Congress-mukt Bharat.

Also read - Punjab not fit to be ruled by dynast Akalis, high commanders Congress or cult AAP

And India's grand old party is passing through its worst political crisis already.

Punjab is a place that may stem its decline and give it at least a psychological boost for elections happening later.

With all these factors put together, it may then be a wishful thinking that the SAD-BJP combine faces a total rout.

But one way to seal the governing alliance's fate is for the AAP and Congress to join forces before elections.

Voters are relaxed with political collaborations. It was a smart move when bêtes noires Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar shook hands in Bihar.

It won't be silly either if the AAP and Congress come together in Punjab.

Agree, the Congress has rarely been a trusted ally as a supporting party of ruling dispensations.

In public perception, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal is also an ambitious politician.

Indeed, both have gaping fault lines. But they can be bridged with a sincere partnership for a progressive alliance in Punjab.

Else, a hung Assembly, which can't be ruled out at this stage, will spell a greater political catastrophe for a sinking Congress and an overeager AAP.