BJP national president Nitin Nabin, who is on a three-day visit to Punjab, on Monday advised senior party leaders and office-bearers to refrain from making any public statements regarding a possible alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
During a strategic meeting with senior BJP Punjab functionaries, former ministers and ex-MLAs, Nabin reportedly said that any decision on an alliance would be taken by the party high command and that leaders should avoid commenting on the issue.
He also emphasized the need to strengthen the party’s grassroots network by mobilising booth-level workers and expanding the cadre base across the state.
Among those present at the meeting were BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Rajya Sabha MPs Raghav Chadha and RK Gupta (Trident Group), BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh, national vice-president Saudan Singh, Ashwani Sharma, Sunil Jakhar, Narinder Raina and Iqbal Singh Lalpura.
Several former ministers and legislators also attended the meeting held at a hotel near the Ludhiana Bus Stand. These included Vijay Sampla, Manoranjan Kalia, Avinash Rai Khanna, Manpreet Singh Badal, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Tikshan Sood and Arunesh Shankar, among others.
A senior BJP leader — who attended the meeting — said the party chief’s primary focus was on strengthening the organisation from the grassroots level.
“The president has asked party leaders and workers to step out of their comfort zones and launch an intensive grassroots outreach campaign. His emphasis was that every BJP worker should reach households across Punjab, highlight the policies and development initiatives of the Narendra Modi government, and expose what the party describes as the failures and misgovernance of the present state government,” the leader said.
Party insiders said the message from the national leadership was clear: focus on organisational strengthening and public outreach while leaving alliance-related decisions to the central leadership.
Political observers view the meeting as part of the BJP’s efforts to test its organisational strength independently and position itself as a stronger electoral force in Punjab ahead of the Assembly polls expected in 2027.
