Can estimates be drawn from this about development in Punjab?
Polling
The idea of industrial development in any state can be gauged from new industrial power connections in a state. Punjab, with 23 districts, has around 3,400 new industrial connections.
Manjit Singh Manna Mianwind won three times on a Shiromani Akali Dal ticket, twice from Khadur Sahib and once from Baba Bakala. After switching to BJP in 2022, he lost the Assembly election from Baba Bakala and then the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Khadur Sahib. With 2027 in sight, BJP faces a clear dilemma. If Manna Mianwind is tested again, where does he really fit now, the seat he once won as an Akali or the seat he recently lost as a BJP candidate ? And does his past success still carry weight after the party switch ?
मनजीत सिंह मन्ना मियांविंड ने शिरोमणि अकाली दल के टिकट पर तीन बार जीत दर्ज की, दो बार खडूर साहिब से और एक बार बाबा बकाला से। 2022 में भाजपा में शामिल होने के बाद, वे बाबा बकाला से विधानसभा चुनाव हार गए और फिर 2024 में खडूर साहिब से लोकसभा चुनाव भी नहीं जीत पाए। अब 2027 को देखते हुए भाजपा के सामने साफ दुविधा है। अगर मन्ना मियांविंड को फिर आज़माया जाता है, तो किस सीट से, वह सीट जहां वे अकाली के तौर पर जीते थे या वह जहां भाजपा उम्मीदवार के रूप में हार चुके हैं ? और क्या पार्टी बदलने के बाद उनकी पुरानी जीतें अब भी मायने रखती हैं ?
Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal’s political journey has taken sharp turns in a short span. Once the Shiromani Akali Dal’s candidate from Raikot in 2017, he was denied a ticket in 2022, a year when BJP stayed out of the Raikot contest altogether. In 2023, Atwal joined the BJP and was quickly projected as its candidate in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll, but failed to convert the opportunity into a win. Now, as BJP talks up its Punjab expansion ahead of 2027, does Atwal still fit BJP’s plans as Raikot's local face ? And will BJP risk fielding a leader with shifting affiliations in a constituency where it is still searching for ground ?
