Punjab is more than just another election

  (Source: PTI)

Is the forthcoming Assembly election in post-1966 reorganised Punjab, its thirteenth, going to mark any significant deviation from the State’s long-term electoral trends and issues? For any discernible observer of Punjab politics, the trends have been as follows: presence of electoral regions, identity politics, competitive populism, ascendance of the State-level party and leadership, close contests, electoral volatility and pragmatic electoral alliances/coalition government. The issues that have remained with the State for over two decades include: ethnic peace, human security, endemic economic crisis in the post-Green Revolution phase, ecological crisis, institutionalised corruption and, more recently, an exodus of youth, drug menace, sacrilege, farm laws, among others.

On social assertion