In the Lok Sabha elections' final phase in Punjab, voting will take place in 13 seats on Saturday. The absence of Captain Amarinder Singh has put the BJP in a difficult position. Without the support of the Akali Dal, the BJP is contesting all seats alone. This isolation has left the ruling party at the center in a challenging situation.
Many local activists who originally supported Amarinder Singh have returned to the Congress, feeling disillusioned after the former Chief Minister joined the BJP. Captain has been inactive in the BJP, missing the entire campaign due to health issues. Despite being a key campaigner for the BJP, Captain's lack of involvement has exacerbated the party's campaign challenges across the state. With Amarinder Singh's wife, Congress MP Prineet Kaur, contesting on a BJP ticket in the traditional Patiala constituency, the absence of Amarinder Singh has left the BJP without a clear leader.
The party faces mounting anger from farmers, who have prevented Prineet Kaur from campaigning in Patiala and restricted BJP activists from entering many villages. The BJP's campaign in Punjab has focused on issues such as the inefficiency of the AAP government, corruption, Arvind Kejriwal's alleged involvement in a liquor scam, and the Congress's opposition to the CAA Act, as the party cannot leverage topics like the Ram temple or Hindutva in the Sikh-majority state.
Despite previous wins in Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, and Amritsar in 2019, the BJP faces challenges this time. The absence of support from the Akali Dal and the lack of a united front in favorable constituencies pose difficulties for the party.
Key candidates have been strategically placed, such as Vidyaman MP Hansraj Hans in the reserved constituency of Firodkot and former Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu Samundari in Amritsar. Congress's nominee in Ludhiana is Ravneet Singh Bittu, while Sushil Kumar from AAP is contesting from Jalandhar.
