The Bharatiya Janata Party has formally shifted into election mode in Punjab, with the party’s central leadership putting in place an aggressive political and organisational strategy well ahead of the next Assembly elections.
According to reliable party sources, the BJP leadership has directed senior leaders across the state to intensify public outreach, strengthen the organisation from the booth level and remain actively engaged with party workers and the emphasis is on expanding the party’s presence across Punjab, increasing public connect and ensuring a sustained political campaign over the coming months.
The renewed push comes in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Punjab, during which he announced several development projects for the state and within the party, the visit is being viewed as more than a government programme—it is also seen as the beginning of a renewed political outreach aimed at strengthening the BJP’s position in Punjab ahead of the Assembly elections.
Party sources indicate that the BJP could field a mix of sitting and former MPs as it looks to put its heavyweights directly into the electoral battle. Among the names doing the rounds are Tarun Chugh, BJP National General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP; Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries Ravneet Singh Bittu, who as per insider sources could once again contest from Ludhiana, the seat he narrowly lost in 2024; former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, who recently joined the BJP after quitting the AAP; Ashok Mittal, Rajya Sabha MP and founder-chancellor of Lovely Professional University; Rajinder Gupta, Rajya Sabha MP and Chairman Emeritus of the Trident Group; former Union Minister and ex-MP Avinash Rai Khanna; Kewal Singh Dhillon, the current Punjab BJP president; Sunil Jakhar, former Punjab BJP president and ex-MP, whose nephew Sandeep Jakhar is also active in state politics; Iqbal Singh Lalpura, former Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities and a senior party leader; Dr Subhash Sharma, State Vice-President of BJP Punjab; Vijay Sampla, former Union Minister of State and ex-Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes; Rakesh Rathore, former Mayor of Jalandhar; and Ashwani Kumar Sharma, sitting MLA from Pathankot. Party insiders say the strategy is to put heavyweight names on the ground early and let them lead the campaign from the front foot rather than waiting for ticket announcements closer to the polls.
Since the formation of Punjab after militancy, the BJP's electoral performance in Assembly elections has seen significant fluctuations. In the 1992 Assembly elections, the party secured 16.5% of the vote and won six seats. Its seat tally peaked at 19 in 2007, when it contested as part of the Shiromani Akali Dal alliance, while winning 18 seats in 1997 with an 8.3% vote share. In 2002, the BJP's vote share fell to 5.7% and it was reduced to just three seats. It recovered to win 19 seats with an 8.3% vote share in 2007, followed by 12 seats and a 7.2% vote share in 2012. The party's performance declined sharply in 2017, when it secured only three seats with a 5.4% vote share. In the 2022 Assembly elections, contesting 73 of the state's 117 seats after the end of its alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal, the BJP won two seats while increasing its vote share to 6.6%.
The BJP's performance in Lok Sabha elections in Punjab has also witnessed considerable changes over the years. Contesting as part of its alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal, the party won three seats in 2004 with a vote share of 10.5%. In 2009, it secured one seat with a 10.1% vote share, followed by two seats in both the 2014 and 2019 general elections, when it polled 8.7% and 9.6% of the vote, respectively. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections marked a significant shift as the BJP contested all 13 parliamentary constituencies in Punjab independently for the first time following the end of its alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal. Although the party failed to win a seat, it recorded its highest-ever vote share in the state at 18.56%, a result that party leaders view as evidence of an expanding support base beyond its traditional urban strongholds.
Party insiders believe the BJP’s performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections has significantly boosted the confidence of the central leadership. Although the party failed to win a parliamentary seat, it secured 18.56% of the vote while contesting all 13 Lok Sabha constituencies independently for the first time. Within the BJP, this is being viewed as evidence that the party has expanded beyond its traditional urban pockets and has created a broader voter base across Punjab.
Political analysts believe this is the first time in many years that the BJP has begun its Punjab campaign so early and with such organisational intensity. Unlike previous elections, when the party largely relied on alliances, the current strategy appears to focus on building an independent political structure capable of competing across all 117 Assembly constituencies. The emphasis on booth-level expansion, continuous public outreach and sustained political activity suggests that the BJP is preparing for a long-term contest rather than a short election campaign.
Whether this strategy ultimately translates into seats will depend on several factors, including candidate selection, the party’s ability to convert its increased vote share into constituency-level victories, and the evolving political equations among the AAP, Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal. However, one message from the BJP’s latest organisational push is clear: the party intends to be a far more aggressive and visible player in Punjab than in previous Assembly elections, making the road to 2027 significantly more competitive.