{
  "id": 4079194,
  "title": "At Baba Bakala, Punjab parties draw battle lines ahead of 2027 polls",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/at-baba-bakala-punjab-parties-draw-battle-lines-ahead-of-2027-polls",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-29T01:30:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/at-baba-bakala-punjab-parties-draw-battle-lines-ahead-of-2027-polls-10853913/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "During the annual Rakhar Punia festival in Baba Bakala, a historic Sikh town in Punjab, political parties have begun drawing battle lines ahead of the 2027 assembly elections. Major parties such as the Congress, AAP, BJP, and SAD held their respective conferences in the town, setting the stage for intense political competition.\n\nIn the Congress faction, state Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja was notably absent, while former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi engaged in a bitter feud with incumbent Bhagwant Mann. Channi accused Mann of hurting religious sentiments and challenging the authority of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the highest seat of authority in Sikhism. Channi alleged that Mann had turned the CM's official residence into a hub of corruption and that official appointments were being dictated from Delhi.\n\nAt the ruling party's gathering, Bhagwant Singh Mann targeted political rivals and highlighted his administration's developmental and welfare initiatives. He announced the disbursement of Rs 181.5 crore to 5.3 lakh additional women beneficiaries under the Mawan-Dheeyan Satkar Yojna, demonstrating the government's commitment to women's empowerment and financial inclusion. Mann also attacked modern-day \"masands\" and \"fraud priests\" attempting to exploit religious sentiments for political gain, accusing the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) of committing \"unpardonable historical sins\" by compromising its political dignity through an alliance with the BJP.\n\nThe BJP's conference was the first-ever it held independently in Baba Bakala. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan assured the farming community that national trade pacts would safeguard agricultural interests, while challenging AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann for governance failures. Chouhan accused AAP of opting out of the PM Fasal Bima Yojana, which could have protected farmers during floods, and claimed that the state government took three months to compile a basic list of houses affected by the floods and failed to deliver homes to those in need.\n\nHaryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini urged voters to assess the Mann government based on its achievements, emphasizing the BJP's focus on revitalizing Majha region's infrastructure and dismantling drug and weapon smuggling networks. BJP's senior leaders, including national vice-president Manpreet Singh Badal and former Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, addressed the event. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal launched an offensive against anti-Panth stooges and accused them of trying to weaken his party and drag Punjab back into the turbulent 1980s. Badal also targeted jailed MP Amritpal Singh, accusing him of trying to emulate Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and accusing the CM and his family of corruption.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Major political parties held conferences in Baba Bakala ahead of 2027 elections.",
    "BJP's Shivraj Singh Chouhan pledged to protect farmers' interests through national trade pacts."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}