Apart from the fact that they were all Punjab chief ministers, what do Parkash Singh Badal, Captain Amarinder Singh, and Charanjit Singh Channi have in common?
They're all from the Malwa region of Punjab.
Furthermore, with the Punjab Assembly Elections 2022 are around the corner, the lands and territories split by Punjab have a significant impact on current and future politics. Let's take a look at the Majha, Malwa, and Doaba regions of Punjab, which can help us anticipate Punjab's future.
Malwa is known for its zamindars and activism.
Malwa is Punjab's most populous region, both geographically and politically. This area contains over 58 percent of the state's assembly seats (69 out of 117). Ludhiana, the state's largest and most populous city, is also a hub of politics.
Since 1966 (when Punjab was reformed and Haryana became a distinct state), 83 percent of the state's chief ministers have been from this region, including current CM Charanjit Singh Channi, who comes from Chamkaur Sahib, a sub-divisional town in Punjab's Rupnagar district, which is part of Malwa.
Majha is a region where religion and politics collide.
Majha has 25 assembly seats, making it the second-most powerful area, albeit it is much behind Malwa in terms of population.
It's also known as the state's 'panthic' belt. 'Panth' means path in Punjabi, and in a religious sense, it refers to the 'Guru's way.' The Majha region is also considered the cradle of early Sikhism because of its historical significance and abundance of ancient gurdwaras.
This region includes the districts of Amritsar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, and Tarn Taran. The Golden Temple in Amritsar and the Kartarpur Corridor, which connects the state to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, are also prominent Sikh religious sites in Majha.
Doaba and the Dalit electorate
With 23 assembly seats, Doaba is the smallest political region in Punjab. Nonetheless, in terms of Dalit votes, the region is significant.
Doaba, which is surrounded by the Sutlej and Beas rivers and where the irrigation system benefited from the Green Revolution, is noted for having the most fertile soil.
Scheduled Castes (SCs) account for roughly 32 percent of Punjab's population, the highest in the country, according to the 2011 census. Doaba, on the other hand, has the highest proportion of Dalits (37.4 per cent), followed by Majha (29.3%), and Malwa (31.3%).
Malwa, the state's southernmost region, has 15 districts and is the most crucial because it allows any party to enter the assembly. After losing 40 seats to Congress in the 2017 elections, Akali Dal's traditional stronghold was reduced to eight seats. The newcomer AAP got 18 seats in the segment, contributing to its total of 20 seats.
Majha is a stronghold for the SAD and Congress, with 25 constituencies and four districts. The Congress won a clean sweep of 22 seats in the recent assembly elections, while the SAD received only two.
Doaba is divided into four districts by two rivers. The SC population per seat in the region ranges from 25 to 75 percent. This has traditionally been Congress's strong suit. In 2017, the party gained 15 seats in the region, followed by the SAD with 5, and the AAP with two. The SAD has allied with the BSP to gain the support of the SC community.