Chandigarh: Gearing up for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has devised an aggressive political strategy, reportedly adopting its famous ‘Bengal Model’ to breach the strongholds of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress.
According to party insiders, the BJP’s primary objective is to establish itself as a formidable and viable alternative to form the government in the border state. Emulating its West Bengal election template—where the saffron party launched high-voltage campaigns in Mamata Banerjee’s bastions like Bhawanipore and Nandigram—the BJP is preparing to launch a massive offensive in areas dominated by its rivals in Punjab.
To execute this plan, the BJP has zeroed in on 53 assembly constituencies traditionally considered fortresses of AAP and Congress. While the ruling AAP holds significant sway in about 30 to 32 seats across the Malwa, Majha, and Doaba regions, the Congress commands influence in approximately 35 to 40 urban and semi-urban constituencies. The BJP is reportedly identifying influential, mass-base leaders from these rival camps who possess strong winning potential, intending to bring them into the party fold ahead of the assembly polls.
This strategic shift is heavily backed by data from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which has given the BJP a renewed sense of optimism. Although Congress won seven out of 13 parliamentary seats and AAP managed only three, assembly segment-wise data revealed a promising picture for the BJP. The saffron party secured the lead in 23 assembly segments, finished second in six, and came third in 16, successfully registering a solid presence across 45 assembly constituencies.
Furthermore, political analysts within the BJP believe that the ruling AAP government is facing severe anti-incumbency. AAP’s vote share, which stood at a dominant 42 percent during its historic 2022 assembly victory (where it won 92 seats), plummeted to around 26 percent in the recent general elections.
To capitalise on this downward trend, the BJP is systematically cornering the Bhagwant Mann-led government using the ‘3C’ formula—Crime, Corruption, and Chitta (drugs). The party is currently conducting a state-wide yatra against the drug menace, a major socio-political issue in Punjab, which is scheduled to be formally concluded by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. By combining aggressive anti-drug campaigns with the promotion of the Modi government’s central achievements, the BJP hopes to solidify its ground and mount a historic challenge in the upcoming 2027 electoral battle.