3 months ago
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As governmental momentum builds crossed Punjab successful the run-up to the 2027 Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appears to beryllium crafting a caller strategy of societal engineering to get a foothold successful the borderline State, wherever it has historically struggled to marque inroads.
The enactment is attempting to fortify its electoral clasp connected 2 important voting blocs — the Scheduled Castes (Dalits), who comprise 31.91% of the colonisation successful Punjab (2011 Census); and the Other Backward Classes (OBC), who relationship for astir 25-30% (academic estimates).
On February 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Dera Sachkhand Ballan successful Jalandhar, connected the juncture of the 649th commencement day of Guru Ravidas. His sojourn signals the party’s effort to entreaty to Dalit voters, arsenic the revered saint and societal reformer belonged to the Dalit community.
As the Prime Minister met the Dera head, Sant Niranjan Dass, who was precocious conferred the Padma Shri, helium struck a chord with the gathering by highlighting his transportation to the birthplace of Guru Ravidas successful Uttar Pradesh’s Kashi. Mr. Modi was elected to the Lok Sabha from Varanasi, which is besides known arsenic Kashi.
The SCs of Punjab are not a homogeneous category. They are divided into immoderate 3 twelve castes and are further fragmented into assorted blended faiths, galore of which person evolved into Deras (sects). In Punjab, determination are astir fractional a twelve cardinal Deras, including Radha Soami, Namdhari, Dera Sacha Sauda, Nurmahal, Nirankari and Dera Sach Khand Balan. These person an power successful astatine slightest 56 Assembly constituencies of the 117 successful the State. Traditionally, successful Punjab, SCs person not consolidated down conscionable 1 party; instead, their enactment has been dispersed crossed antithetic parties, reflecting taste and determination differences wrong the community. This is wherefore consolidating SC votes has remained a formidable situation for each the governmental parties successful the State.
In neighbouring Haryana, the BJP appeared to absorption its electoral strategy successful the 2024 Assembly polls connected consolidating enactment among OBCs and SCs. This proved to beryllium effective: the BJP improved its tally successful the 17 SC-reserved seats from 5 successful 2019 to 8 successful 2024, and won the election. While Punjab is simply a chiseled governmental landscape, caste-based coalitions stay cardinal to its electoral arithmetic.
Of late, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, an OBC leader, has been often visiting Punjab. This is simply a wide motion of the BJP’s outreach towards the community. In a well-thought-out strategy, Mr. Saini, invariably donning a turban, visits societal and spiritual functions, too enactment events. The enactment is besides showcasing Haryana’s improvement and governance exemplary successful Punjab. Mr. Saini has criticised the ruling Aam Aadmi Party for failing to present connected its pre-poll promises, including the proviso of a monthly assistance of ₹1,100 to women. He has pointed retired that successful contrast, Haryana has already implemented its promised ₹2,100 monthly assistance strategy for women.
After parting ways with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) successful 2020, the BJP has been focusing connected expanding its footprint successful Punjab. It has inducted respective Sikh leaders into the party, including Amarinder Singh, erstwhile Congress person and Chief Minister; and Ravneet Singh Bittu, who is present a curate successful the Union Cabinet. It has besides inducted galore Hindu leaders, specified arsenic Sunil Jakhar, who was earlier with the Congress. The BJP has besides tried to task a pro-Sikh representation by highlighting steps taken by the Union authorities successful the involvement of Sikhs since 2014. These see the enactment of a Special Investigation Team to probe the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases; the inaugural to commencement the Kartarpur Corridor, which connects the Dera Baba Nanak successful India to the Darbar Sahib Gurdwara successful Pakistan; and the waiving of GST from ‘langar’ (community kitchens). Despite each this, however, the BJP lone won 2 seats successful the 2022 Assembly polls. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the enactment contested each the 13 constituencies but failed to triumph a azygous seat. However, its ballot stock went up from 9.63% successful the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to 18.56% successful 2024.
Whether the party’s multi-pronged societal engineering strategy, backed by disposable gestures specified arsenic Mr. Modi’s sojourn to Dera Sachkhand Ballan and the deployment of Haryana’s OBC Chief Minister arsenic a span to backward classes, tin yet assistance it ace Punjab’s analyzable electoral codification remains to beryllium seen.
