For BJP, Punjab next after Bengal victory

Chandigarh: After the spectacular victory in West Bengal, Punjab BJP functionaries say the central leadership—with Union home minister Amit Shah as the chief architect—is now set to turn its entire focus on Punjab, which goes to the polls early next year."Bengal ki jeet hamari hai, ab Punjab ki baari hai (Bengal won, now it is Punjab's turn)" was the slogan that echoed through the BJP headquarters in New Delhi as the party celebrated its West Bengal feat. At the party's Punjab headquarters in Chandigarh, where celebrations broke out, state BJP president Sunil Jakhar said the Bengal victory was "a message" that had "ignited hope among the people of Punjab." He suggested that if the BJP can end the "ongoing state-sponsored oppression in Bengal" and "hooliganism in UP," the party should be given a chance in Punjab as well. Drawing similarities between Bengal and Punjab, Jakhar said both states face socio-economic and law-and-order challenges, asserting that the BJP is the "panacea" for these issues. "Why should Punjab be left behind from the development works being carried out in other states?" Jakhar asked. He asserted that Punjab BJP workers were "tiar bar tiar (ready)," buoyed by recent visits from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah. He ended with a message for party workers: "Gird up your loins." Pointing out that the party grew from three seats to a two-thirds majority in a TMC bastion like Bengal, Jakhar argued it would be comparatively easier to script a success story in a smaller state like Punjab, where the party currently holds two seats in the 117-member Vidhan Sabha. In Delhi, senior BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, "West Bengal and Punjab are two states which suffered immense losses in 1947. The sensible people of Bengal have given the BJP a chance, and I hope the people of Punjab adopt similar thinking." BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh told the media, "The lotus will bloom in Punjab. The BJP will form its own govt and make it a Rangla Punjab again by ridding it of corruption, gangsters, and drugs." Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma posted on X that after Bengal elected the BJP for "service," it was now Punjab's turn. The BJP, once a longtime ally of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) before parting ways over the now-repealed farm laws, has announced it will go solo in the 2027 elections. The party has been aggressively increasing its footprint. Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini has been a frequent visitor to the state to bolster the campaign. On April 25, six AAP Rajya Sabha MPs from Punjab, including chief strategist Sandeep Pathak and Raghav Chadha, joined the BJP. This came after senior advocate H S Phoolka, former AAP MLA from Dakha who is credited with fighting legal battles to get justice for 1984 anti-Sikh riots, joined the BJP in the first week of April. MSID:: 130804430 413 |