BJP And AAP Use Pilgrimage Schemes To Outreach Voters Ahead Of 2027 Punjab Assembly Elections

Politics in Punjab is undergoing a change, with political parties increasingly banking on "faith, identity and cultural symbolism" to appeal to the electorate. State-sponsored pilgrimage programmes are being actively used by both the ruling party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to influence public sentiment ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, in addition to traditional subjects like agriculture, unemployment, and law and order. The strategy has opened a new dimension in competitive welfare politics which is emphatically based on spiritual and social heritage.

BJP has launched the Panch Teerath Yatra, a special heritage pilgrimage for Scheduled Caste (SC) communities. It is a drive to take pilgrims to the important historical places related to the life of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The political impact of this outreach is enormous, given that almost 32 per cent of the population of the state of Punjab is scheduled caste.

In the state of Punjab, where the SCs constitute nearly 32 per cent of the population, the importance of this outreach is huge. This is a combination of social justice iconography and cultural mobilisation, which has always been a challenge to the BJP in Punjab. One objective of the party is to present Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a leader who has actively worked to maintain Ambedkar's legacy and expand its support beyond its traditional urban base, especially in Hindu-majority areas.

At the same time, the AAP-led government has strengthened its grip on this area by expanding its ambitious Mukhyamantri Teerath Yatra Scheme. The government started with the idea of giving free travel to important religious centres for senior citizens, but has reduced the age limit to 50 and added new travel circuits. AAP is consciously expanding its social base by targeting some of the more popular spots, such as Khatu Shyam, Salasar Balaji, Mathura-Vrindavan and Haridwar-Rishikesh just ahead of the next elections.

The scenario unfolding in Punjab is a very well-choreographed multi-layered religious and social mobilisation. The outreach of the BJP and AAP differs from the aggressive identity politics prevalent elsewhere in the country: the BJP outreach aims to empower Dalits through Ambedkar-centric heritage tours, while the AAP outreach is directed at community-wide facilitation of religious travel.

Both methods are intended to foster strong emotional connections with the beneficiaries through welfare experiences. With the upcoming 2027 elections looming, these pilgrimage trails are increasingly becoming key electoral corridors, making faith and cultural heritage key tools for mobilising voters in the region.