In Punjab, BJP woos Sikhs as AAP turns to Hindu voters

With the Punjab Assembly election due early next year, the BJP is working to shed its Hindu-centric image and project itself as pro-Sikh, creating space for the AAP to reach out to Hindu voters, The Hindu reports. The BJP recently appointed Jat Sikh leader Kewal Singh Dhillon as its state president, and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, often seen in a turban, has been making frequent visits to Punjab for religious functions. The party is highlighting Union government steps such as the SIT on 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the Kartarpur Corridor.

Meanwhile, speculation revived about a reunion of the BJP with its former ally Shiromani Akali Dal after SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal met PM Modi, Livemint reports. Punjab BJP chief Dhillon downplayed the meeting, saying the party will contest all 117 seats alone. SAD leader Sikandar Singh Maluka called an alliance a personal view, adding any decision would follow party deliberations.

Hindus form nearly 38 per cent of the electorate, The Hindu notes, and the AAP has launched initiatives such as a temple for Mata Janaki in Amritsar, bhajan sandhyas, and a theatrical production on Lord Ram. The party also expanded its free pilgrimage scheme to include Hindu sites in Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. With the BJP shifting focus and the Congress grappling with infighting, the AAP is trying to capture the Hindu vote that once went to both parties.