Badals to Manns, why BJP is banking on political families to boost Punjab run

The BJP is currently focusing on recruiting political families in Punjab to bolster their campaign, despite the fact that not all inductees are well-known political figures. Major (retd) Bhupinder Singh Dhillon, a cousin of former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, joined the BJP on Monday. Dhillon's association with the Badal family spans 25 years, having served as his political adviser throughout their time together.

Dhillon's son, Amarvir Singh Bawa, also joined the BJP alongside him. This move follows that of Gian Singh Mann, a cousin of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who switched from the AAP to the BJP in May. Gian Singh had previously supported the AAP during the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections but later became a vocal critic of the Mann government.

The BJP has been successful in attracting prominent faces from Punjab's established political families, including Captain Amarinder Singh, Sunil Jakhar, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, and Kanwarveer Singh Tohra. In Haryana, the BJP previously inducted two prominent Congress leaders, Chaudhary Birender Singh and Rao Inderjit Singh, ahead of the 2014 elections.

However, Birender Singh later defected back to the Congress. The BJP has been trying to establish its own independent base in Punjab, following their break-up from the SAD in 2020. By recruiting leaders from various political backgrounds, the BJP aims to leverage their political networks, local contacts, and access to constituencies that have been built over decades.

While some suggest the BJP is attempting to replicate its Haryana strategy in Punjab, the party's media representative maintains that it is simply about offering leadership opportunities to those who wish to join the BJP. Critics, including the AAP and SAD, view the BJP's strategy as a desperate attempt to gain power in the state, as the party reportedly lacks a significant presence in Punjab.