Drug menace dominates BJP’s poll campaign in Punjab as it cuts across caste, religion, age
The BJP is centering its campaign for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections on the state's persistent drug crisis. Despite repeated promises from successive governments to eradicate the issue, the problem remains a major social and political challenge.
Why it matters
The drug crisis is a critical electoral issue in Punjab that tests the efficacy of political promises and the ability of major parties to address systemic social problems.
The drug menace in Punjab has stayed at the center stage of political and social attention over the past more than a decade and because it cuts across caste, religion and age, it appears to have become the key poll campaign focus for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the run-up to the impending Assembly election.
With an eye on the Assembly election, which is due in early 2027, the BJP is busy with its ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatras’ campaign, which began on September 18, under which party leaders and workers have started four separate marches (Yatras) from different locations to cover all 117 Assembly constituencies of Punjab before culminating the campaign in Jalandhar on September 30, where Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to address a rally.
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