Hoping to build-up its base in Punjab with the leverage of leaders who have come from other parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to make a pitch for the 2024-Lok Sabha polls in Punjab by starting rallies in every Parliamentary seat.
The first such rally is being organised in Patiala by the BJP in the region considered home turf of former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who had recently merged his political outfit Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) into the BJP. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address this rally in Patiala on January 29.
In the next four months, the BJP has planned rallies in all 13 Parliamentary segments in Punjab. According to BJP insiders, party’s national president JP Nadda is likely to address rally in Jalandhar Parliamentary segment next month as the by-election has been necessitated in the constituency after death of sitting Congress Member of Parliament, Santokh Chaudhary.
The by-poll for Jalandhar Lok Sabha reserve segment is going to be the first test of the party to check its increasing popularity, as claimed by the party leaders, after number of senior Congress leaders including its four former ministers and former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Sunil Jakhar joined the party last year.
The BJP will contest this Lok Sabha polls alone for the first time as this seat was allotted to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) when both parties had alliance in the state.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP will contest this Lok Sabha polls alone for the first time as this seat was allotted to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) when both parties had alliance in the state.
{{/usCountry}}For 2024-Lok Sabha polls, both Patiala and Jalandhar comes under nine Lok Sabha seats being targeted by the BJP out of total 13 segments in Punjab with a hope of having strong chances of performing well. Four seats which according to the party plans are considered hard nut to crack for it include Sangrur, Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot and Khadoor Sahib, disclosed a senior party functionary.
In Patiala, it will be the first show-of-strength of Amarinder-the erstwhile Maharaja of royal family of Patiala -ever since he officially joined the BJP. Notably, Captain’s wife Preneet Kaur is the sitting MP from Patiala but she is still in the Congress even as she had campaigned for Amarinder when he unsuccessfully contested as BJP-PLC’s joint candidate from Patiala Urban in 2022-assembly polls. Amarinder’s daughter Jai Inder Kaur and all local loyalists of Preneet Kaur have already joined the BJP.
After 2022-assembly polls, BJP has increased its focus in the state and had already entrusted eight Union Ministers to hold workers meeting and stay in the Parliamentary segments for atleast 72-hours every month to gauge the mood of the people. The exercise is going on.
In order to show its leadership as empowered, the party has given CRPF cover to most of its senior leaders especially those who have joined from other parties mainly the Congress.
Only last week, the BJP national president in an interview to a national Hindi news channel has claimed that the party was increasing its strength in Punjab and would form the next government in the state.
State BJP chief Ashwani Sharma said the party has already started gearing up for Lok Sabha polls and lot of hard work is being put up by the party cadre at the grass root level as well.
“Patiala rally is just a start. Our national leadership has planned rallies across the state and the party was strongly emerging as the best alternative for the development of Punjab,” said Sharma.