NEW DELHI: When it comes to BJP’s election playbook, there is always a method to the madness. Punjab, which votes early next year, appears to be following the same script.Sample these headlines:PM Modi to visit Punjab on February 1 7 AAP MPs from Punjab merge with BJPBJP appoints Kewal Singh Dhillon as Punjab unit presidentRavneet Singh Bittu resigns from Union Council of MinistersPM Modi inaugurates, lays foundation stone of several projects in PunjabCorruption is rampant in Punjab: PM Modi targets AAP governmentAll these headlines, when looked at in isolation, appear to be one-off political developments separated in time. But one look at them together in the context of a wider long-term objective, they appear not just connected but also planned with a purpose. This is a perfect example of the BJP election playbook in action. The BJP, which over the years played second fiddle to the Akalis in Punjab, contested the 2022 elections alone after snapping ties with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). However, it could win only 2 seats with a vote share of 6.6%. Even the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were a huge disappointment. The BJP polled 18.65% of votes but could not win any seat. However, the BJP appears determined not to let the past numbers dictate its future strategy. And that explains the aggression with which the party has gone for the kill in Punjab.Punjab, which over the years alternated between the Congress and the Akalis, broke the duopoly in 2022 when it overwhelmingly voted for Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP. And that perhaps gives BJP its biggest hope as it marshals its resources. Now, let’s analyze all these headlines as a part of one story to understand how the BJP is gearing up to add another state to its ever-expanding kitty.
The Ravidassia outreach
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Punjab on February 1 this year, the BJP’s election playbook was already in action. The visit was part of a well thought-out and planned outreach that could increase the party’s base and presence in the state. The occasion was the 649th Birth Anniversary of Sant Guru Ravidas Ji. The Ravidassia community form an important electoral bloc of Punjab’s Scheduled Caste population, especially in the Doaba region. A slew of announcements were made, including renaming of Adampur Airport after Guru Ravidas and the launch of the Shri Guru Ravidas Ji Maharaj Express between Jalandhar and Varanasi. It was the start of a planned outreach. That outreach has continued with the Punjab BJP launching the statewide implementation of the ‘Samrasta Sankalp Abhiyan’ from July 29, the auspicious occasion of Guru Purnima, to commemorate the 650th birth anniversary year of Guru Ravidas Maharaj. Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon said the nationwide campaign will continue till February 20 (Magha Purnima) under the guidance of the BJP national leadership and aims to spread Guru Ravidas’s timeless message of equality, dignity, social harmony and social justice across Punjab.
Targeted political acquisition
The BJP, enriched by its experience from victories in states like West Bengal and Odisha, perhaps knows the importance of organisational strength in winning states. So in Punjab, after breaking its alliance with the Akalis, the BJP has been on an overdrive to build a strong local leadership. After the 2022 elections, several prominent Congress leaders had joined the BJP. And now in the run up to the 2027 electoral battle, seven AAP members of Rajya Sabha from the state are already a part of the party. And this acquisition includes Raghav Chaddha, once the most trusted associate of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. Chadha has a good understanding of the electoral thinking of AAP that rules Punjab now and can help the BJP capitalise on its weaknesses. As the elections approach, we could see Raghav Chaddha play a greater role in crafting and implementing BJP’s Punjab campaign.
The ‘Dhillon’ signal
When the BJP replaced one Congress export Sunil Jakhar with another Kewal Singh Dhillon as its state chief, the change was aimed to send across a message. Dhillon, who is a seasoned politician and a prominent industrialist, became the first Jat Sikh to head the BJP in the state. The purpose was clear: outreach among Sikh voters to help increase the acceptability of the party after its Akali alliance ended. The BJP would hope that Dhillon could help the party expand its rural footprint. Besides Dhillon’s political base is in Barnala, which falls in the Sangrur-Malwa region. This region is considered a stronghold of Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and the Aam Aadmi Party.
Ravneet Singh Bittu and Punjab focus
Ravneet Singh Bittu, who joined the BJP in March 2024 ahead of the general elections after ending his long association with the Congress, seems to have an important role in the saffron party’s blueprint for Punjab. During the 2024 campaign, Bittu was projected as an important Sikh face for the BJP by none other than Amit Shah. For those who remember, the entire BJP had rallied in support of Bittu after Rahul Gandhi had referred to him as “traitor”. The BJP made Bittu a minister in the Modi government and a member of Rajya Sabha despite his Lok Sabha election loss from Ludhiana in 2024 to showcase his importance. But after his RS tenure ended in June this year, he quit as minister amid hints that he will play a key role in BJP’s Punjab plans.According to reports, in June, Bittu had expressed his desire to work for Punjab in the Vidhan Sabha after spending nearly 17 years in Parliament. Bittu had then said that the BJP made him the minister even though he had lost the 2024 parliamentary elections.“People of Punjab are fed up (with other parties). People are very much aware of development and progress taking place in other (BJP-ruled) states and they want prosperity in Punjab as well,” Bittu had then said.Ravneet Singh Bittu is the grandson of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, who was assassinated in 1995. During his political career in the Congress, he was elected MP thrice and also served as the grand-old-party’s leader in the Lok Sabha and as its whip in the Lower House.
PM Modi’s ‘double-engine’ promise
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Punjab for the second time on July 17, his focus was on development, youth and farmers. He pitched the BJP’s ‘double-engine’ model, arguing that a government of the same party at the Centre and in the state could bring investment, jobs and faster growth to Punjab.“Only the BJP can bring real change in Punjab. Only the BJP will make Punjab developed. Only the BJP will make Punjab self-reliant,” PM Modi said, adding that the state needed new investment, employment opportunities and greater global reach for products made in Punjab.He also accused the AAP government of stalling development and merely rebranding central schemes. Citing BJP-ruled Delhi and Haryana, Modi argued that Punjab too needed a ‘double-engine’ government, while claiming that farmers in the state were being denied the support available elsewhere.
Rivals under fire
And while one part of PM Modi’s Punjab campaign was outreach, the other part was his fierce attack on the rivals in the state. Targeting the AAP government in Punjab over law and order and several other issues, PM Modi dubbed the ruling dispensation as a “Kattar Beiman” which neither has clean intentions, nor honesty. PM Modi then targeted the Congress, which has been in news more for factionalism than poll readiness. Taking a dig at infighting in the state unit over the chief minister’s chair, the PM said “They are not fighting for people, they are fighting among themselves.” Also under attack was the SAD, the BJP’s former ally. Taking a dig at the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the Prime Minister said it is not concerned about the welfare of the public as it is caught up with its own affairs. And finally, while the students’ protests against the NEET-UG paper leak forced Centre on the backfoot, the BJP is now using the same ammunition to target the Bhagwant Mann government over alleged paper leaks in Punjab.
Can BJP upset the AAP-Congress applecart in Punjab?
The BJP clearly has a plan for Punjab. It is bringing in leaders, strengthening its state organisation, reaching out to new social groups and sharpening its attack on both the AAP and the Congress. In the coming months, this push is likely to become more visible through political outreach, policy announcements and an aggressive campaign around governance, development and law and order.
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But activity alone does not guarantee electoral success. The BJP may have increased its vote share and political visibility, but it still has to expand beyond its traditional urban base, build trust in rural Punjab and convert imported leaders into an effective ground organisation.So, can it upset the AAP-Congress contest? It is still too early to say. The BJP will leave no stone unturned to make Punjab (24th???) state in its kitty. The real test will be whether its carefully assembled strategy can finally translate into seats.
