Punjab is once again entering election mode and even though the next Assembly elections are still months away the political activity has already picked up across state, from rallies and roadshows to social media campaigns and public meetings almost every major political party has started preparing for big contest expected in 2027.
Election Commission (EC) has not announced any official schedule yet but if Punjab follows usual pattern voting is likely to take place around early months of 2027.
Over last three decades Punjab politics has seen major twists where governments have changed, alliances have broken and new parties have risen and since 1992 every election has reflected a different public mood in state.
Punjab went to Assembly polls in February 1992 after a long period of militancy and President’s Rule and at that time the law and order situation was still sensitive and several Akali groups stayed away from elections by giving a boycott call ultimately because of this voter turnout remained extremely low and Congress won a huge majority by securing 87 out of 117 seats following which Beant Singh became Chief Minister who is widely remembered for leading Punjab during a difficult period when the state was trying to return to normal life.
But in August 1995 Beant Singh was killed in a bomb blast outside the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh and many others also died in the attack including some security personnel and after his death Congress saw leadership changes in Punjab where Harcharan Singh Brar took over as Chief Minister’s posrt and later Rajinder Kaur Bhattal became state’s first woman Chief Minister.
Punjab witnessed yet another transformation in its politics in 1997, where SAD and BJP came together politically and brought about a government under the guidance of Parkash Singh Badal, who then went on to rule for a number of years, thus making SAD-BJP one of the powerful coalitions in Punjab’s politics.
SAD-BJP alliance came into power once again in 2007 and repeated itself in 2012, and this particular win proved to be very historic for Punjab, since it was the first time a ruling government won two consecutive elections in Punjab. Punjab voters were always known for making a change after every five years, but with this win all their previous claims fell flat.
In between all these achievements Congress came to power once again in 2002 under the leadership of Captain Amarinder Singh.
Punjab politics took another turn in 2017 when Aam Aadmi Party started gaining strong support in state and till then Punjab’s political fight mostly remained between Congress and SAD-BJP alliance but AAP’s rise turned the contest into a three-cornered battle.
Congress won 2017 elections and Amarinder Singh became Chief Minister again however AAP became main opposition party in Punjab showing that many voters were now looking beyond traditional parties.
Later Congress made another important political move in 2021 by appointing Charanjit Singh Channi as Punjab’s first Dalit Sikh Chief Minister.
The most prominent political development was observed during Punjab assembly elections of 2022 when AAP won an absolute majority of 92 out of 117 seats and one of the most prominent victories for party in Punjab’s history as a result of which Bhagwant Mann was sworn in as Punjab Chief Minister in March 2022.
It also marked end of alliances as long time SAD and BJP alliance contested elections separately where SAD allied with BSP and BJP with Punjab Lok Congress led by former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
Congress which was ruling state at the time suffered a heavy defeat and it became clear from the results that people in Punjab were looking for some political change.
AAP has paid heed to problems including electricity relief, education, healthcare, anti-graft measures and law enforcement campaigns while on other hand opposition parties have been pressurizing the government with respect to problems like unemployment, drugs, farmer's issues, indebtedness and law and order situation.
Another major political event occurred during the Ludhiana West bye-election in 2025 when AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora won the seat.
At present Punjab’s political contest mainly revolves around:
AAP
Congress
SAD
BJP
and some other smaller regional parties
Congress is currently being led in Punjab by Amrinder Singh Raja Warring while SAD continues under Sukhbir Singh Badal and BJP’s Punjab leadership is being headed by Sunil Jakhar and so far there have been repeated discussions about a possible reunion between SAD and BJP however BJP leaders have publicly maintained that the party is preparing to contest all 117 seats on its own.
AAP is also ready for a fight and maintains that they would again form government with majority and so far no major pre poll alliance has officially been confirmed.
The 2027 Punjab Assembly election is important for every major party for different reasons:
AAP: Stay in power
Congress: Rebuild support
SAD: Recover lost ground
BJP: Expand presence in Punjab
With nearly every party already preparing for the contest Punjab is likely to witness an intense political battle in 2027.