Punjab will go to the assembly polls in 2027. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has offered benefits like free electricity, financial aid for women and a free treatment scheme for citizens, but yet faces an intense challenge from Congress, Akali Dal and a resurgent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Bhagwant Mann state government is facing corruption allegations from the BJP, as the Enforcement Directorate has arrested Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora in an alleged money laundering case.
In a strategic shift away from reliance on Hindi-centric campaigning in non-Hindi-speaking states, the BJP has deployed Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini as its star campaigner for the upcoming Punjab elections to tap into vital demographic connections. Saini holds deep personal ties to the region through his mother, a Punjabi Sikh, allowing him to connect naturally with the electorate as a fluent Punjabi speaker. This cultural resonance is paired with a powerful caste dynamic, as the Saini community represents one of the largest and most influential electoral cohorts in Punjab. By positioning a leader who can bridge the community’s internal split between Hindu and Sikh voters, the BJP aims to consolidate a crucial voting bloc that could prove decisive at the polls.
The BJP, which had earlier allied with the Shiromani Akali Dal, is likely to go solo in the state polls next year. Manthri Srinivasulu, BJP State General Secretary (Organisation), Punjab, told Zee News Digital that the saffron party has been raising critical issues that matter for the state and voters have made their minds to dethrone the Aam Aadmi Party government.
“Be it Sarpanch elections or Zila Parishad polls, five big corporation polls or Lok Sabha polls, the BJP did not leave any election and contested all of these alone. The BJP leaders hit the ground running with symbols and it has helped in creating a grassroots leadership in the state. There are 24,600 booths in Punjab and the BJP now has its presence in 21,000 booths. The BJP has its presence in 11,600 fields out of a total of 13,000,” said Srinivasulu.
The BJP State General Secretary shared that for the past one and a half years, the saffron party has emerged as the main opposition party on the ground by raising all issues, creating awareness around them and pressuring the government to take corrective measures.
“Today, on the ground in Punjab, the atmosphere is of AAP vs BJP because our leaders are working relentlessly on the ground. Today, it’s the common perception that if any party can solve Punjab’s problems, then it’s the BJP. Be it law and order situation, gangster culture, bomb blasts and firing issues, challenges faced by farmers or drugs issues, industries and unemployment challenges, only the BJP can get Punjab rid of these menaces. We are giving MSPs on all crops in Haryana, and now we are telling Punjab that we will do the same here,” he said.
Srinivasulu said the state government has taken a fresh debt and if the state’s finances have to be fine-tuned, it’s the BJP that people can trust. People are now saying that Punjab needs a double-engine government, he said.
The BJP leader shared that the party doesn’t need to go with the Akali Dal and is preparing to contest all 117 seats alone. When asked about Raghav Chadha and other AAP MPs joining the BJP, he shared that the BJP is not a party of individuals or a family. “Anyone can join this party. Raghav Chadha and others thought they should join the party and they did. We did not force them. If anyone joins the party, we will always welcome them,” said Srinivasulu. The BJP leader also said that the RSS has been working in Punab for public welfare and will continue to do so.
Notably, Punjab BJP Chief Sunil Jakhar said that if the party is voted to power, it will clear all arrears of the government employees. Jakhar said more than 3 lakh employees and 4 lakh pensioners in Punjab are awaiting their dearness allowance instalments and arrears. He said the High Court had directed the government to release Rs 15,000 crore in dearness allowance instalments and arrears to employees and pensioners by June 30, but the government has again approached the court.
The BJP has accused the AAP of corruption as the Enforcement Directorate arrested Punjab industries minister Sanjeev Arora on May 9 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002. In 2024, Arora, the legislator from Ludhiana (West), faced the ED’s raids in a money laundering case related to the alleged conversion of industrial land for residential projects. At that time, he was a Rajya Sabha MP.
Bureau Report
Leave a Reply