Crime, corruption, and chitta: BJP banks on three Cs to make a splash in Punjab polls

“Apart from the three Cs — crime, corruption and chitta (drugs) — which will also see the addition of the issue of caste given Punjab’s SC population is upwards of 30% — reflections of our successful campaign in Delhi and West Bengal will take shape on the ground in Punjab as well,” a senior BJP leader said.

Youth as central focus

Party insiders said the BJP was looking to make youth a central focus of its campaign, with drug abuse, lack of employment opportunities and what it describes as growing lawlessness likely to figure prominently. The party is also expected to highlight what it alleges is an “alarming rise” in extortion cases across the state.

At the same time, the BJP is planning a “positive outreach” around Sant Ravidas, the Dalit saint whose legacy has been a focus of the party’s recent national campaign.

“The ongoing national outreach around Sant Ravidasji is a special component of the campaign. Rampant drug abuse and corruption, which neither the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) nor the Congress can defend themselves against, will provide the BJP a significant vantage point against both parties,” a senior BJP leader from Punjab said.

The BJP is also seeking to revive its attacks on the Congress over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. A party leader cited the Congress’s support for former party leader Sajjan Kumar as an issue that, in the BJP’s assessment, could be used to target the Congress in Punjab.

‘Khalistan’ target on AAP

The AAP government, meanwhile, is likely to face attacks from the BJP over allegations of links with pro-Khalistan elements and the law-and-order situation in the state.

“The AAP government will have to answer for its blatant support to Khalistani elements, whom they are garlanding and inducting openly, as well as for the fear among the people due to unbridled extortion which we had never seen before they came to power,” another BJP leader said.

Sources said the BJP was currently assessing its electoral prospects and identifying issues that could form the core of its campaign. The party is likely to formally launch its Punjab campaign around Diwali.

The groundwork is also under way for a statewide programme linked to the Centre’s “Nasha Mukt Bharat” initiative. The programme, expected to be held between September 18 and 30, is likely to be led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Possible hurdles

The BJP’s challenge, however, is that it remains a relatively small player in Punjab’s electoral politics. In the 2022 Assembly elections, the AAP won 92 of the state’s 117 seats, up from 20 in 2017. The Congress was reduced to 18 seats from 77, while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won three seats, down from 15. The BJP won two seats, compared with three in 2017.

The 2022 polls saw the BJP and SAD contest separately after the latter walked out of the NDA in 2020 over the now-repealed farm laws.

Since SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament last month, speculations of the two former allies patching up have gained momentum. Sources within the BJP said the party has weighed the possible alliance in its calculations. “We will get clarity on the tie-up with the SAD by the end of September,” a source said.

The SAD calculation

The Akalis remain an important factor for the BJP given their traditional support among sections of Punjab’s panthic electorate, including voters associated with various deras and halqas.

“They (SAD) are keener on an alliance than the BJP but need to walk a fine balance between any sympathy for the Khalistani cause and the popularity of outfits like (Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh’s) Akali Dal Waris Punjab De,” a leader said.