Modi expected to set tone for Punjab assembly polls during upcoming visit

PRime government minister Modi's VisitNew new delhi: Bharatiya Janata company (BJP) leaders await ground Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Punjab on Friday, during which he will inaugurate a series of development projects, to set the tone for the 2027 assembly elections in the state, people familiar with the party’s plans said on Wednesday.Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the redeveloped Jalandhar Cantonment railway station and virtually launch 74 other upgraded railway stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS).The visit will be the Prime Minister’s third to the poll-bound state in the past five months. The BJP, which is preparing to contest the high-stakes election on its own, plans to place development and infrastructure projects at the centre of its campaign, party leaders said.“Development projects have been the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government’s strong point. Since 2014, nearly ₹40,000 crore has been directed toward Punjab’s infrastructure alone. There is an improved road network, new railway stations, 100% electrification of the broad-gauge railway network, improved air connectivity and new terminals… Additionally, all sections from farmers to workers who till the land have benefited from various schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, Ayushman Bharat,” a state BJP functionary said.A detailed account of infrastructure projects, improvements in healthcare and education services, and welfare schemes will be shared with party workers to support election campaigning, the functionary added.A second BJP leader said that with the party unlikely to revive its alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), it will have to focus more heavily on development and economic issues, particularly in the absence of a chief ministerial face.The Akali Dal, once the BJP’s oldest ally, exited the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in September 2020 over differences regarding the now-repealed farm laws.“While the party has a plan for the development of Punjab, there is equal attention being paid to cultural and social aspects as well. The BJP government has been as vested in religious and social causes... In 2019 after PM Modi’s intervention that the Kartarpur Sahab corridor was reopened,” the second functionary said.The Kartarpur Corridor was inaugurated in 2019 to facilitate visa-free travel for Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan. The pilgrimage route, however, remains suspended following tensions between India and Pakistan after the terror attack in Pahalgam in May, 2025.Apart from development, the BJP is also expected to raise ideological issues during the campaign. Party leaders said concerns over illegal immigration and religious conversions are likely to feature in its outreach efforts.“Being a border state, Punjab has borne the brunt of terrorism, narcotic abuse and conversions by missionaries. The problem of conversion through inducement and sometimes coercion is rampant in the regions along the border. The Sikh community should join forces with the union government in identifying and reporting illegal settlers who pose a threat to national security,” the first functionary quoted above said.