“Parachute candidates” in Jalandhar make the struggle fascinating

The Jalandhar Lok Sabha contest this year has been made extremely interesting by the labelling of all three candidates—the Congress, BJP, and AAP—as “parachute” candidates. In previous years, the battleground before elections has always been marked by a series of party hoppers jumping ship right before the polls (out of disillusionment or mostly for better prospects) or arriving at the last minute to lay claim to the seat. During contentious elections, adversaries have often used prefixes like “outsider,” “titli,” and “turncoat” to insult them on social media.

While AAP candidate Pawan Tinu and BJP candidate Sushil Rinku have both switched parties before throughout their political careers, Congress candidate Charanjit Singh Channi has a history of serving several seats even if he is not a party jumper. Prior to the most recent by-election, in which he ran on the AAP ticket, Rinku left the Congress and joined the BJP. Tinu began his political career with the BSP and spent more than ten years with the SAD. Channi ran for both seats in the 2022 assembly from Bhadaur and Chamkaur Sahib, but she was unsuccessful.

This year, as they test their destiny from the seat, they all struggle with the label of “outsider.”

While Tinu and Rinku endured days of backlash on social media for being referred to as “party hoppers,” Channi has recently been the target of taunts from a number of his own party’s officials, particularly after the ticket’s distribution.

It’s interesting to note that AAP and BJP candidates must not only fast get familiar with a new political environment before to elections, but they also risk incurring the anger of their former party. Before the 2023 by-election, Rinku left the Congress to join the AAP. The Congress chastised him severely at the time, and the AAP even handed him the ticket this time. The AAP workers are upset with him for leaving them behind and making their laborious efforts for him in the previous elections meaningless. AAP candidate Pawan Tinu has also seen public outrage from SAD leaders and employees who disapprove of him and feel that he abandoned them.

Even before a single Congressman disputed Channi’s Jalandhar claim, Phillaur MLA and Chaudhary family scion Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary has been Channi’s most outspoken and ferocious opponent in the seat. Veteran Congressman Amarjit Singh Samra recently joined the group and questioned the ticket to Channi. Congress lawmaker and former MLA Sukhwinder Singh Danny Bandala joined this chorus on Sunday, questioning Channi’s dedication to defending the rights of the Dalit community.

The SAD has not yet announced who would represent Jalandhar.

With a 58,000-vote margin, Sushil Rinku became victorious in the 2023 Jalandhar bypoll to become the only MP from Punjab for the AAP. His opponent in the 2023 bypoll, Karamjit Chaudhary, also became a member of the BJP this year. After the Congress awarded the ticket to Charanjit Channi rather than her son, MLA Vikramjit Chaudhary, she resigned from the party.