CHANDIGARH: Campaigning for his party just days before the Assembly polls in the Sikh-dominated Punjab, the birthplace of the year-long mass agitation against three now repealed market-friendly farm laws, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is believed to have taken religious consideration into account while deciding to woo the urban Hindu voters to strengthen the BJP's hold.
Also, the saffron party is testing waters for the first time as a major ally after playing second fiddle for over two-decades with its once regional ally, the Akali Dal, which initially supported the laws but later reversed its stand and quit the government to support the farmers' agitation, arguably the world's biggest, gained momentum.
Located close to the India-Pakistan border, Modi held an election rally on Wednesday, the second in series in the state, in Pathankot town from where he as the PM candidate held a rally on April 25, 2014.
He's holding his culminating election campaign on Thursday in Abohar, the town in Fazilka district known for the saffron coloured kinnow production and accounts for 60 per cent of the state's fruit produce.
Political observers told IANS that the BJP is now focusing at the Hindu dominated at least 23 constituencies as a political field with the immense potential for making Modi's Punjab visit, the first visit since his security breach in Ferozepur on January 5 when protesters forced him to cut short the visit, all the more fruitful.
Punjab's Hindu stronghold constituencies include Pathankot, Dinanagar, Mukerian, Dasuya, Hoshiarpur, Phagwara, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ferozepur, Abohar, Fazilka and Rajpura where hoardings of Ram Temple of Ayodhya in backdrop with inscription of Ram Mandir and Jai Shri Ram have become a common sight.
At Modi's Jalandhar and Pathankot rallies, chants like Jai Shri Ram, Bharat Mata ki Jai and Modi-ji ko Jai Shri Ram rent the air, gradually raising the pitch of slogans related to its Hindu nationalism.
Playing a religious card, Modi, who was sharing dais with two prominent Sikh leaders -- Capt Amarinder Singh and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa -- in Jalandhar blamed the local administration for expressing its inability to make arrangements for him to pay obeisance at revered Devi Talab Mandir during his visit to Jalandhar.
The saffron party is fighting in alliance with former Congress leader and Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress and breakaway faction of the Akali Dal led by Rajya Sabha MP Dhindsa's SAD (Sanyukt) for the February 20 elections.
Pitching the slogan, 'Nawan Punjab Bhajpa De Naal' (New Punjab with the BJP), Modi paid tributes to the Pulwama martyrs and recalled his association with Punjab in both his rallies that evoked massive response from the audience.
Also missing no opportunity to take a jibe at the party's former alliance partner SAD, the Prime Minister said, "There was a time when SAD was not having absolute majority and with the BJP's support, it could form the government.
"But SAD did not pick a Deputy CM from the BJP and Badal sahib (Parkash Singh Badal) chose his son as Deputy CM, but we stayed with them because we wanted Punjab's development."
In Pathankot, Modi invoked the teachings of Sant Ravidas. To woo the Sikhs, Modi said, "Who were the leaders when India was divided? Kartarpur was just 6 km away, they should have included it in India."
Political observers believe that the BJP has its traditional roots in the state that is largely ruled by the traditional Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
In 1997, when the BJP first entered into an alliance with SAD, won 18 of the 22 seats it contested. In 2007, their number in the Assembly rose to 19, but their strength nosedived to just three in 2017.
Pollsters believe the BJP is eyeing to set foot on at least 35 out of 73 seats it is contesting this time, primarily in the urban areas with large number of Hindu and Dalit voters.
Punjab is broadly divided into Malwa, Doaba and Majha regions. The Malwa region comprises 69 Assembly constituencies, while Majha and Doaba have 25 and 23 seats respectively.
Hindus comprise approximately 38 per cent of the state's population, while Dalits have 32 per cent population, both divided among the Congress, the BJP, SAD and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
In the 2017 elections, the Congress formed the government by winning 77 seats. On the other hand, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerged as the main opposition party for the first time by winning 20 seats. While SAD got 15 seats and BJP got three seats. Two seats were won by others.
The 117-member Punjab Assembly will go to the polls on February 20 and the counting of ballots on March 10.
While the ruling Congress is keen to retain power in the state, the BJP is looking to form the next government or at least set a foot on the Modi wave. The Aam Aadmi Party and SAD are also in the fray.
(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)