Bargari Insaaf Morcha has finally decided to embark on the route of ballot rather than protest. It has decided to enter the electoral field to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Punjab.

The Morcha, announcing its four candidates on Wednesday, has also made it clear that its doors are open for any outfit, “except the Congress, SAD (Badal) and the BJP”, for an alliance ahead crucial parliamentary polls.

With this, the Sikh radicals would add another dimension to the already multi-cornered contest the State is expected to witness in the ensuing elections. Besides the traditional players—the Congress, and the SAD-BJP, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has emerged as the third alternative in the State.

Other than that, the maha-gathbandhan (grand alliance) by the various splinter groups is set to make the electoral battle four-way. The grand alliance, under the name of Punjab Democratic Alliance, comprises Sukhpal Singh Khaira’s Punjabi Ekta Party; SAD (Taksali)— including sitting MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, former MP Ratan Singh Ajnala, and former Minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan; Bains brothers’ Lok Insaaf Party; Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP); along with AAP’s “suspended” MP Dr Dharamvir Gandhi’s Punjab Manch.

Now, the Bargari Morcha has also thrown its hat in the poll arena, keeping its options open for a coalition.

Morcha’s senior leader and Akal Takht’s acting parallel jathedar Dhian Singh Mand announced the candidatures of former MP and SAD (Amritsar) president Simarjeet Singh Mann from Sangrur, United Akali Dal president Mohkam Singh from Khadoor Sahib, UAD general secretary Bhai Gurdeep Singh Bathinda from Bathinda, and Bikramjit Sodhi from Sri Anandpur Sahib.

Mand said: “The Morcha has constituted a three-member committee that would negotiate with other political groups, except for the BJP, Congress and SAD (Badal), to make an alliance to contest polls.”

It has been learnt that the Morcha constituents, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and United Akali Dal, have decided to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections under the banner of Bargari Insaaf Morcha in alliance with the SAD (Taksali), PEP, BSP, and others under the Punjab Democratic Front.

Mand has reportedly held a series of talks with the leaders of these outfits to contest the elections in alliance. It is believed that the formal announcement of the Morcha becoming the party of grand alliance in Punjab would be made in the coming days, once the seat sharing and other related issues would be decided.

Bargari Insaaf Morcha came into being in June 2018 when various panthic organisations and leaders came together to stage a protest dharna (sit-in) at Bargari to press for the arrest of those involved in the 2015 sacrilege and police firing incidents.

Notably, a spate of sacrilege incidents shocked the state, that was followed by subsequent police firing incidents at the peaceful protesters on October 14, 2015, killing two Sikh protestors — Krishan Bhagwan Singh and Gurjit Singh — at Behbal Kalan village in Faridkot. Three years after the incident, the political and religious leaders, Sikh preachers, common people, converged at Bargari to send out a clear message to the Congress-led Punjab Government—punish those guilty or meet the same fate as the Akalis. The event has sent alarm bells ringing in the camps of both the Congress and Akali Dal.

Political leaders, including those from AAP, its rebel faction led by Khaira, along with Sikh preachers, come together to observe third anniversary of Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan firing incidents — an event organised by parallel jathedars.

During the event, the protesters demanded action both in the sacrilege cases as well as subsequent police firing. They lashed out not only at the former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal holding him responsible for police firing, but also at the ruling Congress and the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh for “delaying” action against the guilty, especially the Badals.

The issue of sacrilege had cost SAD-BJP combine a lot during 2017 state assembly polls. Keeping the issue alive, the ruling Congress party has planned to make the most of it during the ensuing Lok Sabha polls too.

But with the Bargari Morcha deciding to enter electoral battlefield, it expected to do some harm to both the Congress and the SAD.