Congress' Punjab in-charge Bhupesh Baghel on Friday claimed that the BJP had become “nervous” over the response being received by the Congress in the state and had consequently opened communication channels with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for a possible alliance ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Addressing the party's ongoing ‘Har Booth, Congress Mazboot’ programme, Baghel referred to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's assertion during his Punjab visit in March that the BJP would contest the Assembly elections independently.
Baghel claims BJP-Akali talks
Baghel alleged that the BJP's position had changed after witnessing growing support for the Congress.
“But after seeing the massive response that the Congress is getting, the BJP has become nervous and has already started negotiations with the Akalis,” the former Chhattisgarh chief minister said.
His remarks came after SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, triggering speculation over whether the former allies could come together again ahead of the Assembly polls due early next year.
Baghel claimed that while the BJP had previously kept its distance from the Akalis, the political situation in Punjab was now prompting it to reconsider an alliance.
AAP also under attack
Baghel claimed that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party was also concerned about the Congress' growing political momentum.
He alleged that people in Punjab had become disillusioned with the AAP government and that the party was aware it could lose power in the next election.
According to Baghel, voters had already experienced governments led by the Akali-BJP alliance and the AAP and were increasingly looking towards the Congress as an alternative.
He claimed that the Congress was the only party capable of providing Punjab with a stable and people-friendly government.
Warring challenges Bhagwant Mann
Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, who also addressed the programme, reiterated his willingness to contest directly against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann if the party leadership permitted him to do so.
Warring said such a contest would allow him to make Mann “realise the ground realities” in Punjab.
He also accused the AAP government of using Punjab's resources to finance the party's political activities and election campaigns in other states.
Warring alleged that money belonging to Punjab's people was being spent on advertisements in states such as Gujarat and Goa.
“We will not let AAP fight Gujarat and Goa elections with Punjab's money,” he said, calling for an immediate end to such expenditure.
Congress predicts return to power
Former Punjab Vidhan Sabha speaker Rana K P Singh expressed confidence that the Congress would return to power in the state.
He claimed the political direction in Punjab was already clear and said “no power on earth” could prevent the Congress from forming the next government.
Earlier in the day, Baghel addressed another ‘Har Booth, Congress Mazboot’ programme in Balachaur, where he urged Congress workers to set aside internal differences ahead of what he described as the “big battle” for Punjab.
He said his interactions during the previous seven days had convinced him that people across the state were looking towards the Congress with considerable expectations.
Baghel urged party workers to ensure that the organisation lived up to those expectations.
Constituency outreach planned
Baghel said the Congress would expand its organisational campaign after completing the ongoing district-level programmes.
The next phase would involve constituency-level programmes aimed at reaching a larger number of party workers and strengthening the organisation at the grassroots.
While the Punjab Assembly elections are scheduled for January-February, Baghel said the possibility of the polls being advanced to November could not be ruled out.
He stressed that the party therefore had limited time to prepare and strengthen its organisational machinery.
Baghel addresses slogan controversy
Responding to questions during a press conference, Baghel said the Congress had no objection to workers raising slogans in support of individual party leaders.
However, he questioned the intentions of people who attended party events only to raise slogans and then immediately left the venue.
Baghel claimed such behaviour suggested that their objective was to disrupt the programme rather than participate in party activities.
Factionalism remains a challenge
The remarks come as the Punjab Congress continues to grapple with internal divisions despite repeated efforts by the central leadership to project organisational unity ahead of the 2027 elections.
The differences became particularly visible after the Congress leadership on July 1 decided to retain Warring as the Punjab unit president while appointing former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi as chairman of the campaign committee.
A section of leaders aligned with Channi opposed the decision to continue with Warring as the state Congress chief and sought his removal.
The party's ‘Har Booth, Congress Mazboot’ campaign is consequently aimed not only at strengthening its booth-level organisation but also at presenting a more united front as Punjab's political parties begin positioning themselves for the next Assembly election.