Putting an end to speculations of a reconciliation with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday announced that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will contest the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections alone. Declaring that the BJP’s era of playing the role of ‘Chhota Bhai’ (younger brother) in the state was over, Shah launched a vigorous election campaign from the politically crucial Malwa region and promised a ‘double-engine government’ to free Punjab from the twin evils of drugs and debt. Addressing a ‘Badlaav Rally’ (rally for change) at Killi Chahlan in Moga, Shah categorically said that the BJP’s phase of playing the role of ‘junior partner’ in Punjab is now over. He said, “Earlier, whenever we came before you, we were a ‘junior partner’. But starting from today, BJP is starting its campaign to form its government in Punjab. You have already tried Congress, Akali Dal and AAP; now, give us a chance.”
19% formula and anti-conversion issue
Shah used the BJP’s performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections—in which the party secured 19% vote share despite not winning a single seat in Punjab—as the foundation for the 2027 election effort. Citing historical examples to boost the morale of party workers, he pointed out how BJP has successfully formed governments in states like Assam, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Manipur on the basis of 19% vote share.
In an effort to strengthen Hindu and urban vote banks, Shah announced that if the BJP came to power, the anti-conversion bill would be the first law it would introduce. Shah alleged, “Our Sikh Gurus made the supreme sacrifice in their resistance against forced conversions.” Yet, Congress and AAP see the people behind these conversions only as a vote bank. During the event, he made a big election promise: ‘Give mandate to BJP in 2027, and we will introduce anti-conversion bill within a month of assuming power.’
‘Mann is Kejriwal’s pilot; ‘Punjab is their ATM’
Launching a scathing attack on the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, the Home Minister accused the Chief Minister of neglecting the state to serve his party boss. Shah said, ‘The Chief Minister is just working like a pilot. His only job is to take (AAP national convenor) Arvind Kejriwal across the country using the government aircraft of Punjab. He further alleged that the state treasury has essentially become an “ATM” for AAP’s national expansion efforts.
Speaking on the state’s sensitive narcotics crisis, Shah cited reports that showed that 45% of heroin trafficking in the country is linked to Punjab. He declared, ‘I assure you that within two years of the formation of the BJP government, we will completely eliminate this trade.’ To emphasize this commitment, he cited the central government’s action against Naxalism and the steps taken to remove Article 370 as examples.
For more than two decades, the BJP functioned as a junior ally of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab, usually contesting only 23 of the 117 assembly seats. However, this alliance broke down in 2020 over the issue of the now-repealed farm laws. In the 2022 assembly elections—which were fought in a multi-party contest—the BJP fielded candidates on 73 seats, but could win only two, garnering a vote share of 6.6%. In contrast, AAP won a landslide victory in the state, winning 92 seats. Despite its performance in the 2022 elections, the BJP has gained considerable strength in the last two years as many leaders from the Congress and SAD have joined the party.
