In Punjab, it’s issues of education and health that resonate with voters

Sacrilege is not the issue it was in the previous election though parties bring it up extensively

As elections to the State Assembly draw closer in Punjab, issues related to improving education and health services resonate among voters who feel these sectors have been neglected by the successive Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments.

In Nawanshahr town, Gurpreet Singh, 30, running a tea stall in a makeshift tent, is concerned about her four-year-old daughter’s education. “I want to get my daughter to study in a private school. One among the best in the town charges ₹3,000 monthly fees, apart from admission charges and other expenses, which is beyond my reach, but I’ll do whatever it takes for me to get her admitted to the private school. I don’t have confidence in the schools run by the government. I am illiterate but I want my daughter to get the best education. I have heard that Bhagwant Mann’s party [the Aam Aadmi Party or AAP] has built good government schools in Delhi and quality education is given there. I hope if they [the AAP] are given a chance in Punjab, they can improve the condition of schools and schooling. I am fed up with the promises extended by traditional parties,” said Ms. Singh, who lives in the nearby Bhan Mazara village and comes to the town every day to earn ₹300-400 daily.

In Punjab, the AAP, which is trying to wrest power from the ruling Congress, is selling its “Delhi model of governance” and seeking “one chance” from the voters to form the next government. The party, among its other promises, says it will rejuvenate government schools in Punjab’s cities and villages to provide “world class” education. Also, it has promised a range of health facilities to people free of cost in government hospitals.