BJP making all-out efforts to establish its urban foothold in state
With only a few days to go for the crucial Ludhiana West Assembly byelection, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leaving no stone unturned to establish its urban foothold in the state. The party has unleashed an aggressive and high-voltage campaign marked by the presence of top-tier national leaders, sharp anti-incumbency messaging and a strategic pitch for “double-engine governance” — the Centre-state synergy, which the BJP claims is the key to rapid development.
From Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to ministers and senior state BJP stalwarts, a parade of party leaders has visited Ludhiana West to rally support for BJP candidate Jiwan Gupta. Their mission is clear: make the bypoll not only a contest for a single seat but also a symbolic referendum on governance models — one led by Narendra Modi at the Centre and the other, AAP’s Kejriwal-led experiment in Delhi and Punjab.
The BJP’s messaging hinges on a simple yet potent contrast. On the one hand, it is projecting the development dividends of a “double-engine sarkar”, where both the Centre and the state work in tandem to deliver results. On the other, it paints the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) running a “Delhi-driven model” in Punjab — where real power lies not with the elected state leadership but with Delhi-based bosses.
Senior BJP leader Tikshan Sud have accused AAP of importing its Delhi leadership, including tainted ministers, to Punjab. “Punjab has been handed over to outsiders who are here only to execute Kejriwal’s remote-controlled politics,” he alleged in his campaign speech.
He said: “The BJP was setting the tone for the upcoming 2027 poll as we have delivered with our schemes in other BJP-ruled states. Hence, we want people should give us one chance in Punjab also.”
On alliance with the SAD, Sud said it was yet in a premature stage with only workers at lower level talking about the same.
On Ludhiana West, he said a momentum had been built and the campaign was going well. Many leaders from across the state have joined the campaign leading to a boost to the cadre as a traditional old party worker has been given the ticket in the Assembly segment.
“We are focusing on Central schemes and how a BJP-led state government could better deliver these benefits, if aligned with the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. “Wherever there is a double-engine governance — be it in Gujarat, UP or MP — people are seeing faster highways, better health systems and more jobs. Punjab can have that too,” Sud said.
The Ludhiana West constituency, known for its industrial and business-centric voter base, is emerging as the test case for BJP’s broader strategy in the state — to gain ground in urban seats where traditional party loyalties are less rigid and performance politics can sway opinions.
The Ludhiana West bypoll is more than just an electoral contest — it’s a political litmus test. If BJP’s strategy works, it could reshape the state’s urban political dynamics ahead of 2027. A win here would not only boost the morale of the state BJP cadre but also serve as a validation of the party’s “Modi and local” formula.
As June 19 draws near, all eyes are on Ludhiana West. Will BJP’s campaign deliver the breakthrough it seeks or will state voters stick with the status quo? The outcome may well signal the opening moves of a political realignment in urban Punjab.
Ludhiana