Baba Bakala, a historic town in Amritsar district, is set to witness an intense political showdown on August 28, with five major political parties — the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), BJP and Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) — holding separate conferences on the occasion of the annual Rakhar Punia festival.
Although the 2027 Punjab assembly elections are still months away, the scale of preparations by the parties has made Baba Bakala, associated with ninth Sikh master Guru Tegh Bahadur, an early political arena in the state. The gatherings are expected to serve as a test of organisational strength, cadre mobilisation and the parties’ ability to draw supporters in the strategically important Majha region.
The AAP will hold its programme at the grain market in Rayya, near Baba Bakala, where chief minister Bhagwant Mann is scheduled to address what the government has described as a ‘state-level government function’.
AAP state working president Amansher Singh Sherry Kalsi, Baba Bakala MLA Dalbir Singh Tong and Amritsar deputy commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh inspected the venue on Thursday and reviewed the arrangements.
The Congress event is likely to attract attention for a different reason. The party is facing internal differences over its state leadership, with political activity centred around the camps of Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
{{/usCountry}}The Congress event is likely to attract attention for a different reason. The party is facing internal differences over its state leadership, with political activity centred around the camps of Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
{{/usCountry}}The participation of Channi and leaders associated with his camp will be closely watched, making the Congress gathering an important indicator of the extent of unity within the state unit.
The standoff between the two camps is set to be visible at Baba Bakala as well. The Congress conference is being organised mainly by the camp led by former CM Charanjit Singh Channi, who is expected to be present on the occasion.
Warring and other leaders from his camp are unlikely to attend the conference, according to party sources. Amritsar MP Gurjit Singh Aujla and senior leader Sukhwinder Singh Danny Bandala, who belongs to the adjoining Jandiala Guru constituency, may also skip the event, the sources said.
Political observers believe that the Rakhar Punia Congress conference could further expose and intensify factional differences within the party.
The SAD is preparing for its traditional political conference and has intensified mobilisation across the Baba Bakala assembly constituency. Senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia has been visiting villages and holding meetings with party workers as the party seeks to demonstrate its continued grassroots influence in Majha.
The BJP is also making a major push at Baba Bakala, organising its first significant political conference at the venue. Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon will lead the programme, while Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini are among the senior leaders scheduled to address the gathering.
BJP state spokesperson Sarchand Singh Khiala said Punjab’s major challenges, farmers’ concerns, employment, youth issues, drugs, security and development would be among the issues discussed at the conference.
He said preparations had been completed under the guidance of state organisation general secretary Mantri Srinivasulu. Former Akali MLA-turned-BJP leader Manjit Singh Manna is playing a prominent role in organising the BJP gathering.
The Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), led by jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, will organise its ‘Panth Bachao, Punjab Bachao’ Panthic conference.
Acting party president Tarsem Singh and parliamentary board member Sukhwinder Singh Agwan reviewed arrangements on Thursday and appealed to the Sikh sangat to participate in large numbers. A message from Amritpal Singh is expected to be conveyed during the conference.