Chandigarh, Mar 16 (PTI) The AAP has decided to fight the elections on all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab on its own steam, and wants no truck with INDIA bloc partner Congress. A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis of the parties in the fray in Punjab.

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AAM AADMI PARTY

Strengths

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* The AAP is set to make the most of promises fulfilled by the Bhagwant Mann government after it swept to power in 2022

* The party will also leverage the work done by the AAP government in Delhi when it asks for votes in Punjab

Weaknesses

* The opposition has targeted the AAP over law and order; the murder of singer Sidhu Moosewala remains an emotive issue

* The AAP government has not been able to fulfil the poll promise of giving women a Rs 1,000 allowance every month.

Opportunities

* The AAP support to Punjab farmers' simmering agitation against the Centre at Punjab-Haryana border points might help it get their votes

* The AAP decision to get at least five state ministers to contest for Parliament might help it win those seats

Threat

* The AAP stands to lose votes if the BJP and SAD manage to revive their old alliance even at this late stage

SHIROMANI AKALI DAL

Strength

* The Shiomani Akali Dal raises issues that resonate with the majority Sikhs and farmers

Weaknesses

* Limited vote base in urban constituencies

* The party is controlled largely by a single family, the Badals. This has created rifts in the past.

Opportunity

* The failure of INDIA bloc partners AAP and Congress to fight together gives SAD a chance to do better

Threats

* The party's appeal among farmers might have dented during the 2021 agitation, even though it distanced itself from the ruling BJP at the Centre

* The politics over the fresh farmers' agitation might be preventing it from allying with the BJP again as an anti-Congress, anti-AAP bloc

BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY

Strengths

* The BJP now has more Sikh faces, including former chief minister Amarinder Singh

* The party hopes that PM Modi's popularity in many states will work for it in Punjab as well

Weaknesses

* Limited support base in rural areas

* Failure to resolve differences with the farming community over demands like legal guarantee on MSP Opportunity

* The BJP hopes to woo Sikhs with decisions like designating a Veer Bal Diwas to commemorate the sacrifice of Guru Gobind Singh's sons

Threat

* Delay in re-stitching an alliance with the SAD to take on the AAP and the Congress

CONGRESS

Strength

* The party has a vote base both in urban and rural areas Weakness * Infighting, former Punjab unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu defies state Congress leadership

* Defection of top leaders to the BJP ahead of the elections Opportunity * The farmers' agitation gives it a chance to target the BJP

Threats

* Failure to reach a seat-sharing agreement with INDIA partner AAP will hurt the Congress.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)