BJP held ‘Kirtan Darbar’ at Virasat-e-Khalsa, Anandpur Sahib, as part of the Guru Tegh Bahadur’s 350th martyrdom anniversary events.
Ahead of the 2027 Assembly election, the BJP made an independent move in Punjab’s Sikh religious community on Tuesday. They held their own ‘Kirtan Darbar’ at Virasat-e-Khalsa, Anandpur Sahib, as part of the Guru Tegh Bahadur’s 350th martyrdom anniversary events.
This is the first time the BJP, usually a smaller player next to the SAD-led religious and political scene, has put on its own Sikh religious event in the state.
Folks watching politics figure the BJP leaders are trying to get more Sikh voters on their side, since the party hasn’t had much luck there before. Holding a religious event on their own shows they’re changing from how they used to do things in Punjab. Before, they mostly worked with the SAD to get through to Sikh religious groups.
Now that the alliance fell apart and the SAD is losing steam, the BJP looks to be making a new plan to reach out to Sikhs directly.
A big group, including Union Minister for Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, state BJP president Sunil Jakhar, working BJP president Ashwani Sharma, ex-Union minister Parneet Kaur, BJP parliamentary board member Iqbal Singh Lalpura, state vice-president Subhash Sharma, and former MP Avinash Rai Khanna, all went to Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib to pay their respects before the Kirtan Darbar at Virasat-e-Khalsa.
Shekhawat told the press that the Modi government is celebrating Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom worldwide to spread his message of sacrifice and religious freedom. He didn’t want to talk about touchy subjects like releasing Bandi Singhs, saying he didn’t want to make political statements at a serious event.
Parneet Kaur, a former Union minister who is now with the BJP, said the state group would ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a special development package for Anandpur Sahib to honor the 350th martyrdom anniversary.
This religious push is more than just today’s event. The Punjab BJP announced a bunch of programs until the end of the month, showing they’re trying to reach out to Sikh families all over the state. This includes Kirtan Darbars at the district level until November 30 and Sri Sukhmani Sahib recitations on November 24 in all 628 BJP groups in Punjab. Party leaders say thousands of people are supposed to join in.
Political nerds say these moves show the BJP is changing its Punjab strategy. Instead of relying on alliances or sticking to Hindu areas, the party is trying to be seen as caring about Sikh religious and cultural stuff.
With the AAP government and SAD caught up in their own messes, the BJP seems to have found an opening. It’s still up in the air if these religious events will get them more votes, but today’s event is a big change for the party in Punjab.
