Punjab Assembly polls: BJP’s pro-Sikh strategy gives AAP scope for Hindu outreach

Ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly election, political parties in the State are getting their houses in order.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a party traditionally associated with Hindu voters, is working to project itself as pro-Sikh, even as the Congress, the principal Opposition, continues to grapple with infighting. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is focused on consolidating the Hindu vote, a voter base it shares with the BJP and the Congress, as it seeks to retain power.

The BJP recently appointed Kewal Singh Dhillon, a Jat Sikh face, as its Punjab president. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, often seen donning a dastar (turban), has been making frequent visits to Punjab for social and religious functions. The party has been trying to strengthen its pro-Sikh image by drawing attention to steps taken by the Union government for the community, setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases, the initiative to start the Kartarpur Corridor, which connects the Dera Baba Nanak in India to the Darbar Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan, and the waiving of GST from ‘langar’ (community kitchens).

These moves are widely seen as part of the BJP’s broader effort to strengthen its ‘pro-Sikh’ credentials and in its efforts it appears to be competing with other ‘Panthic’ (Sikh) parties to position itself as a Sikh party. Many believe the BJP risks alienating its core Hindu vote base and sensing this opening, the AAP has found an opportunity to mobilise Hindu voters in Punjab.

Hindus account for nearly 38% of the State’s electorate and traditionally have been inclined towards the Congress. The BJP’s core support base is also concentrated among Hindus, especially among the urban voters. Now, as the BJP is seen busy promoting its ‘pro-Sikh’ image and the Congress is currently caught up in internal fighting, the AAP is trying to capture that space.

In 2026, the AAP government unveiled a set of initiatives indicating its outreach for the Hindu electorate. In June, at an event in Amritsar, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal announced the construction of a temple dedicated to ‘Mata Janaki’ (Sita) and her sons Luv and Kush, connected to the belief that they were born on Amritsar’s soil. The AAP has orgaised devotional events (bhajan sandhyas) — ‘Ek Shaam Bhagwan Shivji Ke Naam’ — in the State. It is also holding a theatrical production, ‘Humare Ram’, to depict the timeless ideals of Lord Ram and disseminate the message of ‘Sanatan’ through the historical epics of Ramayan.

On August 12, the State government announced an expansion of its free-of-cost pilgrimage scheme — ‘Mukh Mantri Teerath Yatra Yojna ‘ — which has expanded to include a much larger set of Hindu pilgrimage destinations across Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.

There is a view among political observers that if the BJP shifts focus from its Hindu vote bank toward the Sikhs, Hindu voters may drift away from the party. It is natural that when a party leaves a space vacant, another party tends to step in.

The AAP is offering that space and is positioned to capture it, partly because Congress, which has also drawn Hindu votes in the past, is dealing with infighting and the BJP is busy building an image with Sikh voters. The AAP, which is battling anti-incumbency after four-and-a-half years of its rule, could gain ground with the Hindu support base of both parties — the BJP and the Congress.