The Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) is a newly founded regional political party, in Punjab, founded by Amarinder Singh on November 2, 2021 after he resigned as Chief Minister of Punjab and left the Indian National Congress. On December 17, PLC became part of an alliance with the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukat). Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukat) was formed following a split from Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) Punjab. In the next Assembly elections, the BJP is a candidate for this alliance for 65 seats, the PLC for 37 seats and the Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukat) for 15 seats. Before knowing the performance of Punjab Lok Congress (PL) in these assembly elections, it is important to know the history of Captain Amarinder Singh and the princely state of Patiala.
The princely state of Patiala was one of the largest, wealthiest, and most populous states in PhulkianMissal. Patiala State was established by Baba Ala Singh in 1973. In the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761, Baba Ala Singh first joined the Marathas against the Afghans, led by Ahmad Shah Abdali. But when the Marathas were defeated by the Afghans on March 29, 1761, Raja Ala Singh appeared before the court of Ahmad Shah and apologized to him for this mistake. Subsequently, the rulers of Patiala began to acquire the advantage of kingship. After Aurangzeb, when the Mughal Empire weakened, the British set foot in Punjab. The rulers of Patiala united with the British against Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1808. Thereafter, Patiala came under a subsidiary alliance system. During the Indian Mutiny of 1857, Maharaja Narindera Singh offered his assistance to the East India Company and his services were later recognized by Lord Canning as invaluable. In 1862 Maharaja Banaras and Sir Dinkar Rao, along with Maharaja Narinder Singh of Patiala, were elected by Viceroy Lord Cunningham to his Legislative Council as a reward.
During the First World War, the princely states, including Patiala. Kapurthala and Faridkot provided 50,000 troops to aid the British Army. Maharaja Yadvindra Singh was among those Indian princes who hastened to sign the instrument of accession, thus facilitating the process of national integration. In recognition of his services, he was appointed Rajpramukh of the new PEPSU State. Hence, Patiala leaders such as Karam Singh, Narinder Singh, Mahendra Singh, Rajinder Singh, Bhupinder Singh and Yadvindra Singh have always been treated with respect and dignity by the British people for their loyalty to the British referee.
Captain Amarinder Singh is the son of the last Maharaja of Patiala State, Yadavindra Singh. Captain Amarinder Singh served in the Indian Army from 1963 to 1966. He began his political career when he was inducted into Congress by Rajiv Gandhi, who was his school friend and was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980. He resigned from Parliament. and Congress in 1984, in protest against the action of the army on the Golden Temple during Operation Blue Star. Subsequently, he joined the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and was elected to the Talwandi Sabo State Legislature and became State Government Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Development and panchayats.
Again in 1992, he left the Shiromani Akali Dal and formed a splinter group named Shiromani Akali Dal (Panthic). His party faced a landslide defeat in the Vidhan Sabha elections in which he himself was defeated in his own constituency where he got only 856 votes. Again, he merged his party with the Indian National Congress in 1998.
Captain Amarinder Singh has secured a very powerful position in the Punjab Congress party and he served as Chairman of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee three times from 1999 to 2002, 2010 to 2013 and 2015 to 2017. He is also became Chief Minister of Punjab. in the 2002 parliamentary election. In March 2017, the Congress Party won the State Assembly elections under his leadership and Amarinder Singh was sworn in as the 26th Chief Minister of Punjab. Due to internal competition for the leadership of the Punjab Congress and the inability of the government to deliver on its promises
made by them in the election campaign, the position of Captain Amarinder Singh weakened day by day in his own party.
On September 18, 2021, he resigned as Chief Minister of Punjab as per the decision of the Congress High Command, and a few days later, he also resigned from the Indian National Congress and formed a new political party, Punjab Lok Congress (PLC). The PLC is fighting the election from 37 seats out of a total of 117 seats under its alliance with the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukat). Of the 37 seats of the PLC, 26 are from the Malwa region, seven are from the Majha region while four seats are from the Doaba region. 22 candidates announced so far by the PLC and the captain himself is fighting from his home constituency, Patiala Urban.
Although the defection and merger of political parties is the significant trend in the overall political system of India, the historical trends testify to the fact that Patiala State has always accepted the subjugation of the powerful to stay in power. The Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) outfit could repeat the history of 1992. Captain Amarinder Singh could lose again by a big margin. The whole alliance, including his party, is unable to win. But this alliance can get a significant share of its fixed vote. These trends could lead to the future merger of the Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) with the BJP.
(Jaspreet Kaur)
