Page 6 - The Indian EYE 092526

EYE ON INDIA SEPTEMBER 25, 2026 | The Indian Eye 6

Drugs & Violence: Punjab Politics

Heats Up Ahead of 2027 Polls

With the 2027 Assembly election still months away, the political battle in Punjab is already gathering

momentum, with drugs, law and order and competing political campaigns dominating the discourse.

OUR BUREAU
CHANDIGARH
unjab’s political temperature is rising well be-
fore the next Assembly election. A confronta-
Ption involving BJP leader and former Union
minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, the launch of the BJP’s
statewide ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’ and increas-
ingly sharp exchanges between the ruling Aam Aad-
mi Party (AAP) and Opposition parties have brought
the state’s electoral politics into sharper focus.
The 2027 Assembly election is expected to be
held early next year, and political parties are already
preparing for what is shaping up as a multi-cornered
contest. The AAP government led by Chief Minis-
ter Bhagwant Mann is seeking to defend its record,
while the BJP, Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal
are working to strengthen their respective positions.
Recent political reporting has highlighted organi-
sational challenges and factional differences across
several of the major parties.
The BJP’s latest statewide campaign is centred
on one of Punjab’s most persistent and politically
sensitive issues — drugs.
The party has launched its ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab
Yatra’, a campaign that will travel about 4,000 kilo-
metres and cover all 117 Assembly constituencies. It
is scheduled to culminate in Jalandhar on Septem- Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with Ravneet Singh Bittu during a public meeting, in Jalandhar (ANI file photo)
ber 30, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah is
expected to address a rally. The BJP has described come part of the wider political confrontation. The political contest is not confined to the BJP
the campaign as a movement against drug abuse, BJP leaders have used the episode to question and AAP. Congress is attempting to recover the
while its political opponents are likely to view the the law-and-order situation in Punjab. Krishan Dev ground lost in the 2022 election, while the Akali Dal
extensive mobilisation through an electoral lens. Bhandari, HS Phoolka, Vijay Sampla and Jai Inder is seeking to rebuild its traditional political base.
The timing is significant. The BJP has been at- Kaur have all criticised the state government, while Analysts have noted that divisions within the Oppo-
tempting to expand its organisational presence in Bittu has linked the alleged attack directly to the po- sition could shape the contest as much as the AAP
Punjab, a state where it historically played a smaller litical fight against drugs. government’s record.
role than the Shiromani Akali Dal. The party has The AAP, for its part, faces the challenge of For the moment, however, drugs and law and
also been inducting leaders with political connec- defending its governance record as the election ap- order have emerged as the immediate battleground.
tions in the state as it prepares for the next election. proaches. The drug issue is particularly important The BJP’s 4,000-kilometre yatra gives it an opportu-
But the campaign got off to a contentious start because successive political formations in Punjab nity to take its campaign directly to every Assembly
after Bittu alleged that his convoy was attacked while have made promises to tackle the problem. The BJP constituency, while giving the AAP government an
he was travelling towards Pathankot to participate in is now seeking to make the issue a central compo- equally visible political challenge to answer.
the anti-drug yatra. He claimed that protesters sur- nent of its statewide political mobilisation. Punjab’s election campaign may still be some
rounded the convoy, damaged vehicle windows and Nitin Nabin, while announcing the BJP cam- distance away, but the political contest has clearly
that some people were carrying weapons. He also paign, argued that Punjab’s youth had been pushed begun. What happens on the ground over the com-
alleged that three people apprehended by his securi- towards addiction and accused political parties of ing months — particularly on drugs, governance,
ty team were linked to the AAP and accused a local exploiting the drug issue for electoral purposes. He employment, agriculture, law and order and the
MLA of sending them. said the BJP would undertake the campaign along- state’s economic concerns — will shape the issues
These are allegations made by Bittu and other side families affected by drug abuse. on which the parties eventually seek votes.
BJP leaders, and the claims require investigation by That message allows the BJP to connect a social For now, the battle is being fought through
the authorities. Bittu has demanded registration of issue with a broader political argument about gov- yatras, accusations and counter-accusations. The
an FIR and raised questions about the security of ernance and public safety. Whether that translates intensity of the opening phase suggests that Punjab
political workers and leaders. into electoral support, however, will depend on how will remain one of the country’s closely watched po-
The incident has nevertheless immediately be- voters assess the competing claims of the parties. litical arenas as the 2027 election approaches.

www.TheIndianEYE.com