Hindu voters are once again at the center of discussion in Punjab politics. Hindus, who were considered the core voters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), are now also being eyed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress. The reason for this is not only the elections, but also the changing political circumstances of the state. BJP has been considered the choice of urban Hindu voters for a long time, while now AAP and Congress are also trying to strengthen their hold in this class and are preparing to corner BJP in its core votebase.
In recent times, the Bhagwant Mann government of Punjab has taken many such steps, which political experts are considering as Hindu outreach i.e. a strategy to reach out to the Hindu society. Many party leaders including AAP national convenor Arvinj Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann are attending the bhajan evening. Religious events and schemes related to Lord Ram, Lord Shiva and Luv-Kush are being given importance. Political analysts believe that before the 2027 assembly elections, all the parties are trying to attract new voters by going beyond their traditional vote bank.
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Why are Hindu votes so important in Punjab?
Punjab is often seen as a Sikh-majority state, but it also has a sizeable Hindu population. About 38 to 40 percent of the population in the state is considered to be Hindu community. These votes decide victory or defeat in many assembly seats. Hindu voters are in large numbers especially in cities like Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Abohar, Bathinda and Patiala. In these areas, the business class, middle class and urban voters have a direct impact on the election results. For this reason no political party wants to ignore this vote bank.
BJP’s traditional voter
Urban Hindu voters have been the strongest base of BJP in Punjab for a long time. During the alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal, BJP mainly contested elections on Hindu dominated seats and its focus was on urban areas. This alliance was presented as a Hindu-Sikh alliance. However, after the farmers’ movement, the alliance of Akali Dal and BJP broke. After this, BJP is contesting the elections alone and along with preserving its old vote bank, it also has to reach out to new sections.
BJP is trying to increase its base
Bharatiya Janata Party no longer wants to be limited to only Hindu votes. The party is also trying to increase its presence in the Sikh and Dalit communities. Under this strategy, the party has recently intensified its efforts to create social balance in the organization as well. Under this, after removing Hindu leader Sunil Jakhar, the party has given command of the state unit to Jatt Sikh face Kewal Singh Dhillon.
AAP’s new strategy
The Aam Aadmi Party, which registered a big victory in the 2022 assembly elections, is now facing the challenge of maintaining its support base. In such a situation, the party seems to be trying to increase its acceptance among the Hindu society. The state government has organized ‘Ek Sham Shiv Ke Naam’ Bhajan Sandhya across the state. Such programs are taking place in 22 big cities of the state. In a program in Amritsar, Arvind Kejriwal announced a big plan related to Luv-Kush temple. Apart from this, programs related to Lord Shiva, cultural presentations based on Ramayana and events related to Sanatan tradition were also promoted.
Political experts believe that AAP wants to give the message that it is not just a party of one class but of the entire Punjab. With this, it is expected to make a place among those Hindu voters who have earlier been with BJP or Congress. Along with this, in recent times, efforts are being made to compensate for the damage caused by the controversial video of Bhagwant Mann through Hindu votes.
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Even Congress does not want to lag behind
Congress is also preparing to return to Punjab. The party knows that it will not be easy to return to power by relying only on traditional votes. Therefore, she is working on a strategy to connect Hindu society as well as Dalits, farmers and urban voters. The party is trying to implement the formula of Hindu, Dalit and Jatt Sikh at the state level.
What will happen next?
2027 assembly elections are still far away, but political preparations have started. The AAP government wants to return to power with the help of its work and new social equations. The Congress is trying to regain lost ground, while the BJP wants to expand into new social classes while keeping its traditional Hindu votebank strong. This is the reason that in the coming times, political activism may increase further in Punjab through religious, cultural and social programs.
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