Langar for 1 lakh, 80 leaders on stage, BJP set for Shah’s big Moga rally today

Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s maiden “Badlav Rally” at Killi Chahlan village in Moga district on Saturday is expected to signal the BJP’s political push in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.

The BJP heavyweight will descend on Moga for barely 75 minutes and is expected to unleash a barrage of announcements and promises targeting women, farmers and the common man. He is also likely to go hammer and tongs at the AAP government over drugs, law-and-order breakdown and what the BJP has dubbed the “remote control” rule of AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal from Delhi.

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Apart from the issues Shah may raise, discussions within the party on Friday centred on protocol, optics and the sequence of leaders sharing the stage with the BJP heavyweight. The scale of preparations reflects the party’s ambitions. Arrangements have been made for langar for up to 1 lakh people, a massive stage accommodating nearly 80 leaders, seating space for 250 media personnel and transportation for supporters via 30 buses from each of the 117 Assembly segments, sources said.

Yet, the finer details of presentation are generating the maximum interest within the party. A meeting of senior leaders was held at the rally venue on Friday to finalise the list of speakers and key issues to be highlighted. The BJP’s Punjab unit has been working overnight to ensure a massive turnout, with 83 acres reportedly earmarked for the event. The rally is billed as the BJP’s declaration of war on the ruling AAP ahead of the next election.

Party sources said it remained to be seen whether Shah would arrive wearing a turban or be presented with one on the stage and whether he would address the gathering partly in Punjabi — decisions that are being closely watched within party circles.

Equally significant is the order of speakers. According to sources, state BJP president Sunil Jakhar will be the last speaker before Shah addresses the gathering and is expected to set the stage for the Home Minister’s speech.

Before Jakhar, the list of speakers is likely to include former CM Capt Amarinder Singh, former state BJP chief Ashwani Sharma and Union Minister Ravneet Bittu, in that sequence. Party insiders say the order of speakers is often interpreted as a reflection of each leader’s standing within the party hierarchy. Patiala MP Preneet Kaur is also expected to address the rally, representing the women’s leadership presence on the stage.

Shah’s address is also expected to touch upon several long-pending issues, including the state’s share in river waters, the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal dispute, the demand for transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab, unemployment and concerns over law and order. Jakhar is overseeing the overall arrangements, while senior leader Anil Sarin has been designated as the rally in-charge.

Killi Chahlan Factor

The choice of Killi Chahlan as the venue is no accident — and the symbolism is unmistakable. The small village in Moga tehsil — population 1,452, literacy rate 78.9%, gender ratio 941 per 1,000 males, according to Census 2011 — has been catapulted almost overnight into the epicentre of Punjab’s 2027 poll battlefield.

It was here that the ruling AAP organised a massive anti-drug rally barely a month ago, with Kejriwal and Mann jointly sounding their own poll bugle and projecting the party's anti-drug drive as its showpiece achievement. The BJP is now deploying the same village to mount a direct counter-offensive, with Shah’s Badlaav Rally set to dwarf the AAP show in scale and ambition.