Hoarding battle in Ludhiana: AAP, Cong dominate as BJP, SAD lag behind

The hoarding war is heating up in Ludhiana as the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress flood the city’s unipoles with bold slogans and striking visuals, leaving BJP and SAD trailing with minimal presence. In a high-stakes contest of words and visibility, both leading parties are using their hoardings to take veiled shots at their opponents, while pitching themselves as the trusted choice.

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AAP’s Sanjeev Arora went straight for the jugular with “Na gussa, na hankaar, Sanjeev Arora iss vaar”—a clear jab at Congress’ Bharat Bhushan Ashu, whose past controversies stemmed from his aggressive demeanour. Ashu retaliated with “For development and trust, Ashu is must”, anchoring his campaign in his track record and future plans. Another one of Arora’s hoarding assured voters that “Honge kam, milega satkar—AAP da MLA, AAP di Sarkar,” reinforcing Kejriwal’s rally promise that an AAP MLA means guaranteed work.

Ashu countered with “Na jhooth, na larey—kam karda bauhat sarey,” dismissing fake promises while emphasising his efficiency. Meanwhile, BJP and SAD have taken a different approach. Rather than investing lakhs in flashy unipoles, they are relying on illegal wall posters and aggressive social media campaigns.

SAD’s Parupkar Singh Ghuman is pushing a narrative of prosperity with “Taraki te khushhali lake aange Akali,” urging voters to trust Akalis to revive Punjab’s fortune, as they claim to have done in their last tenure. Another slogan, “Na baahari, na hankaari… iss vaar Parupkar di vaari,” positions him as the local, humble choice. He also underlined his aim of being accessible to the public saying, “Har ik tak sokhi phaunch,” promising accessibility—contrasting other candidates, whom he suggested would vanish post-election.

Curiously, BJP’s Gupta remains absent from the hoarding battle, admitting that AAP and Congress have the financial muscle to dominate large-scale advertising. “They can afford to spend lakhs and have special teams crafting catchy slogans. I come from a normal family—I don’t believe in spending on big hoardings,” he asserted, relying instead on grassroots engagement.