Security forfeited, but BJP upbeat over vote share in Panthic belt

The BJP has failed to make a major impact in the Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll, but the party’s spirits remain high.

Party candidate Harjit Singh Sandhu had his security deposits forfeited. However, party leaders say they see an upward trend in vote share.

At the same time, the talk of a renewed SAD-BJP alliance has resurfaced in the wake of the result.

Sunil Jakhar, president of the state BJP, said there was no need for party cadres to feel disappointed by the result.

“The party is a work in progress in Punjab. We need to reflect on how we can better inform the public about the BJP’s good intentions for the state and how much our party is doing, or plans to do, for Punjab,” he said.

Vineet Joshi, BJP spokesperson, said the defeat was actually a “victory for the party” as its vote share had risen dramatically from 1,176 votes in the 2022 Assembly elections to 6,239 this bypoll.

“Votes for the party have increased, though not enough. But the big positive is that the BJP is now more acceptable in the state than during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when our candidates were not allowed to campaign and faced blockades and protests,” he said.

“This time, the party organised rallies, visits by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and set up polling booths across the constituency. These are good signs,” he added.

Historian and political commentator Jagtar Singh said it would be unfair to judge the BJP’s fortunes based on the Tarn Taran bypoll. “You cannot assess their performance here as the party previously had no base in this constituency,” he said.

He added that the talk of the BJP forming an alliance with a Panthic party may gather momentum after this result.

“However, it remains to be seen whether any such party, be it the Sukhbir Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit), or the Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), will ally with it. It seems that the ground is being prepared for greater unity within Sikh-domain politics in the state. Only a united Akali front can make a difference,” he said.

Jakhar declined to comment on the issue of a possible alliance with the SAD while Vineet Joshi said it was too early for such discussions.

Insiders in both the BJP and the SAD said their leaders were inclined towards an alliance, but no formal dialogue had yet taken place.

Sources said some informal interactions occurred between leaders who might have met at social functions but senior-level talks were still pending.

According to sources, the two parties have been sending feelers to each other, yet the alliance discussions remain stuck over seat-sharing.

They recalled that talks before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls also collapsed over the same issue. “The BJP wanted six seats while the Akalis were offering four or even five if the BJP could field winnable candidates. The issue remains unresolved. The BJP now wants nearly 50 per cent of the 117 Assembly seats. The SAD does not agree and has asked the BJP to first show strong candidates for those seats before pressing for such parity,” an Akali leader revealed.

Sukhbir Badal, in his message on the poll result, did not appear inclined towards any party. “For the last 10 years, the Congress, AAP, BJP and so-called Panthic outfits have given nothing to the Khalsa Panth and Punjab except highly funded, malicious propaganda and hate campaigns aimed at misleading the Panth and Punjab against their mother party, the SAD. Their falsehoods are finally being exposed, and the truth is beginning to triumph,” he wrote on X.