JAISALMER: The BJP will contest all 117 Assembly seats in Punjab on its own in the upcoming elections, party national general secretary and Punjab in-charge Satish Poonia said on Sunday.Speaking to reporters in Barmer, Poonia said the BJP would not be part of any alliance and would enter the electoral battle independently.During his one-day visit to Barmer, Poonia targeted the Aam Aadmi Party government over Punjab’s law and order situation and the drug menace. He said incidents of gang wars were being reported regularly and claimed that even AAP leaders had earlier fallen victim to such violence.He said Punjab needed a change and that the BJP would approach voters as an alternative to the present government.Poonia said the BJP had broken the perception in Haryana, Tripura and West Bengal that it could not come to power in these states. He said the party had traditionally contested Punjab elections in alliance, which limited the expansion of its organisation and its participation in government.Earlier, the BJP used to contest around 23 seats and win 12-13 of them. In 2022, it contested all 117 seats. Poonia said the central leadership and Punjab BJP unit had now decided to field candidates in all 117 constituencies in the coming election.Asked about the coincidence of Rajasthan Congress leader Sachin Pilot and Poonia being appointed in-charge of Punjab and Rajasthan respectively, Poonia said the matter could perhaps be explained only by an astrologer.In a lighter vein, he said both parties take their own decisions and do not act by looking at each other, calling it a coincidence that an astrologer could shed more light on.Poonia claimed that there was strong anti-incumbency against the AAP government, with three major issues — drugs, law and order and corruption.He said drugs had devastated Punjab’s youth, villages and families. Referring to cases of addiction, he said some families had lost multiple members to drugs.Poonia said Arvind Kejriwal had promised to eradicate drugs in Punjab within 90 days, but the problem continued even after nearly four-and-a-half years. He alleged that the drug menace had also fuelled gangster activities and gang wars, worsening the law and order situation.On corruption, Poonia levelled allegations against the government, including one concerning the Chief Minister’s wife and another involving an alleged attempt to protect a rape accused. He said drugs, law and order and corruption were the three major issues that would drive the BJP’s campaign against the AAP government.Poonia also announced that the BJP would organise an anti-drug awareness campaign in Punjab from September 18 to 30.The campaign will culminate in Jalandhar in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Poonia said Shah had set a target of making the country drug-free by 2031.Poonia said he was confident in Shah’s resolve, citing the significant decline in Naxalism in the country as an example of the government fulfilling ambitious targets. He said Shah worked to fulfil the commitments he made.Poonia arrived in Barmer on a one-day visit. At the beginning of his tour, he visited Ramderiya at Oondu-Kashmir, regarded as the birthplace of folk deity Baba Ramdev, where he offered prayers and performed rituals.He later addressed a workers’ conference at the Barmer district BJP office.Before reaching Barmer, Poonia stopped at Phalsund in Jaisalmer district, where BJP leader Kanwaraj Singh, Gajrup Sagar Math Mahant Bal Bharti Maharaj and other local residents accorded him a warm welcome.
