In the last five years, the largest loss in history was recorded in the stock market in October 2024 to the tune of 37 lakh crore as per media reports. Before this, in March 2020, small investors lost around 33 lakh crore during the Corona period.
The controversy surrounding Bhagwant Mann has reopened political space on issues of Sikh identity and religious sentiment, terrain that once formed the Shiromani Akali Dal's strongest political foundation. Yet despite the ruling party facing sustained criticism, the Akali Dal has struggled to convert the moment into a decisive political resurgence. This raises a larger question: Is the Akali Dal waiting for public sentiment to return on its own, or must it actively reclaim Punjab through sustained grassroots outreach, mass contact programmes and the kind of political mobilisation that once defined leaders like Sukhbir Singh Badal ? Can a party truly stage a comeback by reacting to events, or must it once again lead the public conversation ?
भगवंत मान से जुड़े विवाद ने सिख पहचान और धार्मिक भावनाओं से जुड़े उन मुद्दों को फिर से राजनीतिक केंद्र में ला दिया है, जो कभी शिरोमणि अकाली दल की सबसे बड़ी ताकत माने जाते थे। लेकिन सत्ता पक्ष लगातार आलोचनाओं का सामना कर रहा होने के बावजूद अकाली दल अब तक इस माहौल को निर्णायक राजनीतिक पुनरुत्थान में बदल नहीं पाया है। ऐसे में बड़ा सवाल यह है, क्या अकाली दल जनता के समर्थन के अपने आप लौटने का इंतज़ार कर रहा है, या उसे सुखबीर सिंह बादल के दौर की तरह लगातार जनसंपर्क अभियान, रैलियों और ज़मीनी सक्रियता के जरिए पंजाब को फिर से अपने साथ जोड़ना होगा ? क्या कोई पार्टी केवल घटनाओं पर प्रतिक्रिया देकर वापसी कर सकती है, या उसे फिर से राजनीतिक विमर्श की अगुवाई करनी होगी ?
Women now constitute nearly 47.5% of Punjab's electorate and have consistently recorded a higher voter turnout than men in recent Assembly elections, making them the state's most decisive voting bloc. From the Congress Government's free bus travel and welfare measures, to the AAP Government's Mawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojana, and the Shiromani Akali Dal's promises of enhanced marriage assistance and higher pensions, every major political party is competing to win the trust of women voters ahead of 2027. The larger question is: Are Punjab's women finally at the centre of public policy, or have they simply become the centre of every party's election strategy ? What truly earns the trust of women voters ?
