The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), seeking to revive its political fortunes ahead of the 2027 Punjab assembly elections, has for the first time hired a professional political consultancy firm on a multi-crore deal to overhaul the party’s image and craft a campaign strategy for its top leaders, including president Sukhbir Singh Badal and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
The party has engaged Show Time Consulting to design a series of personalised outreach programmes aimed at moving away from its traditional reliance on large public rallies, while projecting Sukhbir as a more accessible, people’s leader and Harsimrat as a campaigner against drugs.
“In the past, the party may have taken assistance from such firms, but the role was restricted to feedback, research and surveys,” said a SAD leader.
The move marks a shift for a party traditionally associated with morchas and agitations and a strong network of local leaders, towards a more corporate-style election campaign built around professional research, surveys and targeted voter outreach.
The party, which ruled Punjab for two consecutive terms between 2007 and 2017 in alliance with the BJP, had won 15 seats in the 2017 assembly elections, before being reduced to just three seats in the 117-member legislative assembly in the 2022 elections.
Sukhbir’s door-to-door outreach, Gen-Z connect
{{/usCountry}}Sukhbir’s door-to-door outreach, Gen-Z connect
{{/usCountry}}The consultancy is working on a three-pronged strategy: the first involves assisting Sukhbir in his door-to-door outreach, where he meets people one-on-one, listens to their problems and seeks to project himself as an action-oriented leader.
According to a functionary associated with the consulting firm, the idea is to challenge the ruling party’s “Rangla Punjab” narrative by highlighting problems faced by people.
The second component is “Vibe Punjabi Di”, an interactive programme aimed particularly at the younger generation, including Gen-Z voters. The format allows for discussions on lighter issues, in an attempt to make Sukhbir more relatable to young voters.
The programme has so far been held in Patiala and Moga, with Ludhiana scheduled to be the next destination.
At these events, Sukhbir appears in a markedly different avatar, wearing jeans and sports shoes rather than the traditional kurta-pyjama. He talks about his personal preferences, including his liking for fast food.
The consultancy plans more such “controlled” events, moving away from the traditional format of large public rallies.
“For the time being, we have decided to postpone events on the lines of the Punjab Bachao rallies,” said a manager of the consulting firm.
The idea behind the new format, according to the firm, is that large rallies do not allow party leaders to establish direct contact with the audience.
Harsimrat’s anti-drug campaign
Alongside the programmes centred on Sukhbir, the consultancy is also working with Harsimrat on the “Mawan Dhiyan Di Lalkar, Band Karo Nashey Da Vyopaar” (Mothers and daughters demand, stop the drug trade) campaign, forming the third element of the strategy.
The programme is aimed at countering allegations of drug trade during SAD’s two terms in government, from 2007 to 2017.
“Initially, party leaders were reluctant about the programme as they felt it could prove counterproductive. However, the way the format has been planned and executed, women are coming forward and joining Harsimrat in the fight against drugs,” said a manager of the poll consultancy, not willing to be named and also refusing to comment on the financial details of the engagement with SAD.
As part of the campaign, Harsimrat asks women whether the drug trade has stopped or increased and whether investigations have been conducted or chargesheets filed against SAD leaders accused of involvement in the drug trade.
According to the consultancy, the campaign has resonated with women because they are particularly affected when a family member dies from a drug overdose.
Harsimrat also asks women to identify drug traffickers, promising that an SAD government would take strict action against them. The party has proposed an anti-drug task force led by a woman police officer to crack down on traffickers if it returns to power.
The consultancy said more such programmes targeting women were planned in the coming months.