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Chandigarh: In a significant political development ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, four prominent leaders from diverse political backgrounds joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday, underlining the party’s intensified push to expand its footprint in the state. The inductions took place at the BJP’s state office in Sector 37, Chandigarh, in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, and senior party leader Ashwani Sharma.

Those who joined the BJP include former Member of Parliament Jagmeet Singh Brar, Prof Onkar Singh, former Officer on Special Duty to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, and Charanjit Singh Brar, who recently resigned from the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjiti). The development is seen as a setback for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and other regional outfits in the state.

Welcoming the new entrants, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini said they had joined the BJP keeping Punjab’s welfare in mind. Alleging that the state was witnessing an atmosphere of fear affecting industrialists and the general public, he said people were increasingly looking to the BJP to restore confidence and stability. He added that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party would work to strengthen governance in Punjab.

Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar said the BJP “parivaar” was steadily growing and asserted that the party was confident of forming the government in Punjab in 2027. He accused the AAP-led government of failing to provide effective governance. He announced that BJP leaders and workers would gherao Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence later in the day to protest against the deteriorating law and order situation.

Among the new inductees, Prof Onkar Singh’s entry has drawn particular attention. A former close aide of CM Mann with strong grassroots connections in the Dhuri Assembly constituency, he is seen by political observers as a potential BJP candidate from Dhuri or Lambi in the 2027 polls.

Jagmeet Singh Brar, who spent over three decades in the Indian National Congress, later briefly led the Punjab Trinamool Congress, joined the Shiromani Akali Dal in 2019, and contested the 2022 Assembly elections from Maur. He brings extensive political experience. With these high-profile inductions, the BJP appears set to sharpen its political strategy in Punjab as the countdown to the 2027 Assembly elections begins