CHANDIGARH: Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon is likely to contest the 2027 Assembly elections from Ludhiana (North), with hoardings bearing his name appearing at several locations in the constituency. Local BJP leaders have also put up greeting posters featuring Dhillon, adding to speculation about his candidature from the seat.
However, Dhillon has maintained that the final decision will be taken by the party high command.
Dhillon's traditional constituency is Barnala, where he won the Assembly seat in 2007 and 2012 as a Congress candidate. However, he suffered successive defeats thereafter. In 2017, he lost to AAP's Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer by 2,432 votes. In the 2024 Assembly by-election, contesting on a BJP ticket, he finished a distant third with 17,958 votes.
Ludhiana (North) is being considered a "safe seat" for the BJP president based on its past voting pattern, with the saffron party having secured a lead in this Assembly segment in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
There had been speculation in political circles that former Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu was in the race to contest from Ludhiana (North), as he had secured a sizeable number of votes from the constituency in the 2024 parliamentary elections. He polled 53,725 votes from the Ludhiana (North) Assembly segment, while Congress candidate Amarinder Singh Raja Warring secured 31,415 votes.
Despite consecutive defeats in Assembly elections, the BJP has retained a sizeable vote base in the constituency. In 2012, party candidate Parveen Bansal polled 46,048 votes but lost by 2,168 votes. In 2017, he secured 39,732 votes and lost by 5,132 votes, while in 2022, he polled 35,822 votes and lost by a wider margin of 15,282 votes.
Past election results have also shown that Ludhiana (North) has historically favoured national parties. Late senior BJP leader Harish Bedi had won the seat earlier, while Congress veteran Rakesh Pandey was elected from the constituency seven times.
Party sources said an internal party report had reportedly identified Ludhiana (North) as a "safe seat for him" (Dhillon). They claimed that fielding Dhillon from the constituency would not only ensure his victory but also prove crucial for the party's candidates in all 14 constituencies of Ludhiana district, including the six urban segments of North, West, East, Atam Nagar, South and Central.
Party leaders believe that fielding Dhillon from Ludhiana (North) would increase the BJP's vote share and improve its chances of winning the seat. Speculation about his candidature has also gathered momentum as Dhillon has been making frequent visits to Ludhiana to meet party cadres. Unconfirmed reports also suggest that he has secured a residential property in the Civil Lines area of Ludhiana (North) for political activities.
Several senior leaders from Ludhiana (North) were already in the race for the party ticket, including Punjab BJP general secretary Anil Sarin, Parveen Bansal, Narinder Singh Malli and Mahesh Dutt Sharma. They have been undertaking political activities in the constituency to woo voters.
The BJP has often lost the seat by narrow margins, amid allegations of factionalism. Fielding the state president from the constituency is being seen as a move to end internal rivalry.
Party sources claim that Ludhiana, Punjab’s largest industrial and commercial city, offers an advantage, as contesting from the constituency would give industrialists and traders direct access to the Central Government through the state party chief. They believe this could also help the BJP expand its support base among the business community.
It is learnt that the BJP high command is seriously considering the possibility of fielding Dhillon from Ludhiana (North). When contacted, Dhillon said he would contest from whichever constituency the party high command decides.