BJP to launch four anti-drug yatras across all 117 Punjab seats from September 18

The BJP will launch four statewide “Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatras” covering all 117 Assembly constituencies as it seeks to turn the campaign against drugs into a mass movement and build political momentum ahead of the next Punjab Assembly elections, state party president Kewal Singh Dhillon announced on Friday.

BJP national president Nitin Nabin will flag off the first yatra from Ekta Sthal at Madhopur in Sujanpur, Pathankot, on September 18. The four yatras will travel nearly 4,000 km over 13 days before culminating in Jalandhar on September 30, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to address a rally. The campaign will be held under the tagline “Bhajpa Da Naara, Nasha Mukauna Saara”.

Drugs, law and order, corruption in focus

Dhillon said the campaign would focus on three issues that the BJP considers among Punjab’s biggest challenges — drug abuse, deteriorating law and order and alleged corruption across different levels of government.

Flanked by BJP national vice-president Manpreet Singh Badal and senior leaders Sunil Jakhar, Ashwani Sharma and Vineet Joshi, Dhillon said the initiative was not merely an anti-drug campaign but an attempt to confront what the party sees as a wider threat to Punjab’s social fabric, culture and identity.

He said drug addiction was tearing families apart and pushing young people away from Punjab’s traditional strengths in the armed forces, sports and nation-building. Addiction, he argued, was also contributing to crime, violence and gang-related activities while placing families under severe financial pressure because of treatment expenses.

Targeting the AAP government, Dhillon alleged that narcotics had become widely available across Punjab and claimed that even home delivery of “chitta”, a term commonly used for synthetic drugs, was taking place. “Pizza delivery can get delayed, but not drug delivery,” he remarked.

BJP eyes all 117 Assembly seats

The campaign comes as the BJP prepares to contest all 117 constituencies in the next Punjab Assembly elections. The party has been attempting to expand its footprint beyond its traditional urban strongholds and establish an independent statewide organisational base.

Dhillon expressed confidence that the BJP would form the next government and said the party had a plan to tackle the drug problem that would combine enforcement with employment opportunities and rehabilitation for young people affected by addiction.

Manpreet Badal said a BJP-led government in Punjab would act decisively against narcotics. Referring to the Centre’s security operations in other parts of the country, he claimed that the party would similarly “root out” the drug menace if voted to power in the state.

Four routes to converge in Jalandhar

The first yatra will begin from Madhopur on September 18 and travel through constituencies in Pathankot, Gurdaspur and Amritsar regions before heading towards Jalandhar. Its route will include Sujanpur, Pathankot, Bhoa, Dina Nagar, Gurdaspur, Qadian, Sri Hargobindpur, Batala, Fatehgarh Churian, Dera Baba Nanak, Ajnala, Raja Sansi, Attari and several constituencies in Amritsar.

The second yatra will start from Sri Fatehgarh Sahib on September 19 and cover constituencies including Samrala, Payal, Khanna, Amloh, Bassi Pathana, Dera Bassi, SAS Nagar, Kharar, Chamkaur Sahib, Ropar, Anandpur Sahib and Phagwara before reaching Jalandhar.

The third will be launched from Sadiqi Border in Fazilka on September 20 and travel through Fazilka, Balluana, Abohar, Jalalabad, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Malout, Gidderbaha, Jaito, Kotkapura and Faridkot, besides the Ludhiana urban region.

The fourth yatra will begin from Talwandi Sabo on September 21 and cover constituencies across the Malwa region, including Maur, Rampura Phul, Bhucho Mandi, Bathinda Rural, Bathinda Urban, Mansa, Sardulgarh, Budhlada, Bhadaur, Barnala, Patiala Rural, Patiala Urban, Sanaur and Rajpura.

Shah to address concluding rally

All four routes will eventually converge in Jalandhar, where the BJP plans a major concluding programme on September 30 with Amit Shah.

By taking the campaign through every Assembly constituency, the BJP is seeking to make the drug issue a central plank of its political outreach while simultaneously targeting the AAP government over law and order and corruption.

The yatras will also provide the party with an early statewide mobilisation exercise as it prepares to contest Punjab without limiting itself to seats traditionally considered favourable to the BJP.