As D-Day approaches in election-bound Punjab, the main parties have unleashed a no-holds barred ad blitzkrieg, often hitting below the belt, to attract voters. The state goes to polls on February 13.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP combine and the Congress have booked huge chunks of space in the print and the electronic media. Both have arranged to give out the most damaging ads through proxy organisations to beat any legal hassle and both are equally vicious when it comes to attacking the top leaders.

However, going by the planning and execution of the ad war, the SAD-BJP combine is way ahead of the Congress. The combine’s ads are well-researched with potent, hard-hitting messages. The campaign attempts to demolish the promises made by the Congress in its manifesto. Many of the ads attack the Amarinder Singh government’s claims.

The Captain, who seems to be a favourite target, is often depicted as a maharaja given to royal splendour. One the first ads released by the Akalis showed Singh lounging in luxury in Dubai while farmers commit suicide back home. One proxy advertisement, issued ostensibily in the name of AISSF, lists the Captain's "corrupt coterie" and describes the chief minister as "Commander-in-Thief". Among those named in the ad are state finance minister Surinder Singla, his colleagues Choudhary Jasjit Singh and Raghunath Puri, former media adviser BIS Chahal and political secretary Rana Sodhi. It also names the owner of a TV channel and a liquor baron. The punch line: Rs 9958 crore looted by this gang.

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