The race of predictions in Punjab politics has begun well ahead of the next assembly contest. On Saturday, BJP's state unit leader Sunil Jakhar stated bluntly that once the 2027 elections are over, the party will be in charge of the state. His confidence, he explained, rests on a simple reading of the mood: people in this border state have started viewing the BJP as a 'ray of hope', and they believe only a double engine government can lift Punjab out of its present difficulties.
A Bold Claim From the Abohar Stage
Jakhar made the remark in Abohar, where the party had organised a 'Sarv Samaj OBC' conference to mark 12 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public service. Addressing that gathering, he said Punjab's voters have now made up their minds to hand the reins to the BJP. According to him, only a government run by the same party at both the state and the Centre — a 'double engine' government — can reverse what he described as the 'development and administrative stagnation' that set in under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Why He Says the Centre's Backing Matters
The BJP leader stressed that pulling Punjab out of its current state requires cooperation from the central government. 'Just as the Modi government has worked on the principle of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas', a BJP government in Punjab will also ensure 'Sabka Hisab', and legal action will be taken against those who have 'looted' Punjab's state treasury for personal gain,' he said — pairing the promise of support with one of accountability.
The Bengal Parallel and a Direct Hit at AAP
Taking aim at the Aam Aadmi Party, Jakhar drew a pointed comparison. He said the AAP in Punjab is headed for the same fate the Trinamool Congress met in West Bengal. According to him, the BJP brought an end to the 15-year rule of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress in the recent West Bengal assembly elections. On that basis, he claimed that the AAP too will fall apart completely in Punjab once the coming polls are done. He repeated that the people of the state now see the BJP as both a credible alternative and a source of hope.
