The Rise of BJP
BJP might not have secured any seat in the state , but it has been the biggest winner of this Lok Sabha elections in Punjab as it has more than doubled its vote share from 9% to over 18.5% .
Formerly confined to the foothills of Punjab in Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur districts and parts of urban Punjab, BJP has now moved into the heart of Punjab. BJP candidates have secured between 2-3 lakh votes in the large Urban and Semi Urban seats with significant hindu population like Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, Ferozepur, Anandpur Sahib etc apart from its traditional “pahaari” bastions.
Ram Mandir issue ,appeal of Modi ,Counter mobilisation due to farmers protest,religious polarisation along with simultaneous polarisation of Sikhs in favour of radicals in pockets of the state benefitted BJP candidates in almost all cities and mandi towns where they secured good votes .BJP is ahead in 23 seats of Punjab which included 5 out of 6 assembly seats of Urban Ludhiana ,3 out of 5 in Amritsar 2 out of 4 in Jalandhar and all three in Patiala.It also secured 3 seats each in Ferozepur, Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur constituencies.
Despite the vocal and visible opposition of the Kisan Unions, BJP has been able to make inroads in the rural areas too especially among sections of Dalits
Moreover it has become the third biggest party in Punjab relegating Akali Dal to the fourth spot,finally settling the issue about who will be in the drivers seat ,if they again decide to hitch their wagon to the floundering regional party of Punjab.In 10 out of 13 seats BJP candidates secured more votes than Akali Dal.
One of the clearest signals of this elections is that BJP has finally arrived in the state as serious and independent political player.
– Prof. Harjeshwar Pal Singh