Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday declared that the Bharatiya Janata Party will contest the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections on its own, effectively ending speculation about a possible reconciliation with the Shiromani Akali Dal.
Launching a high-pitched campaign from the politically crucial Malwa region, Shah said the BJP would no longer play the role of the “chhota bhai” (junior partner) in Punjab politics and would instead seek a full mandate to form its own government in the state.
BJP Begins Solo Campaign In Punjab
Addressing the Badlaav Rally at Killi Chahlan in Moga, Shah told supporters that the party had historically contested elections in Punjab as a junior ally but would now chart its own course.
“Whenever we came before you in the past, we were the junior partner. But from today, the BJP begins its campaign to form its own government in Punjab,” he said, reported Hindustan Times.
Shah urged voters to give the party a chance after having experienced governments led by the Indian National Congress, the Akali Dal and the Aam Aadmi Party.
‘19% Formula’ And Anti-Conversion Promise
Citing the BJP’s performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Punjab, Shah said the party secured around 19 per cent of the vote despite failing to win any seats. He argued that similar vote shares had previously helped the BJP eventually form governments in states such as Assam, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Manipur.
Seeking to consolidate support among Hindu and urban voters, Shah also promised that an anti-conversion law would be among the first legislative measures if the BJP forms the government in Punjab.
“Our Sikh Gurus made supreme sacrifices against forced conversions. Yet, the Congress and AAP treat those behind these conversions as a vote bank,” he alleged, adding that the party would introduce an anti-conversion Bill within a month of taking office.
Attack On AAP Government
Shah also launched a sharp attack on the government led by Bhagwant Mann, accusing the chief minister of prioritising the interests of Arvind Kejriwal over the state.
“The chief minister is merely working as a pilot. His only job is to fly Arvind Kejriwal across the country on Punjab’s state-funded aircraft,” Shah said, claiming the state treasury had become an “ATM” for the party’s national expansion.
Promise To Tackle Drug Problem
Addressing Punjab’s longstanding drug crisis, Shah cited reports suggesting that around 45 per cent of heroin smuggling in India is linked to the state.
He promised that if the BJP forms the government, the party would eliminate the drug trade within two years, drawing parallels with the Centre’s actions against Naxalism and the abrogation of Article 370.
End Of A Long Political Partnership
For more than two decades, the BJP had contested elections in Punjab as a junior ally of the Shiromani Akali Dal, typically fighting only 23 of the state’s 117 Assembly seats.
However, the alliance collapsed in 2020 amid tensions over the now-repealed farm laws. In the 2022 Assembly elections, the BJP contested 73 seats independently but won only two, securing a vote share of 6.6 per cent. The Aam Aadmi Party swept the polls with 92 seats.
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