Rohtak, June 20 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to emerge as a strong force in the upcoming Punjab assembly elections due early next year, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini said on Friday, claiming that people in the neighbouring state are looking to Haryana's development model and welfare-oriented governance.

"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the lotus will bloom in Punjab as well," Saini said while interacting with the media after chairing the district public relations and grievance redressal committee meeting in Sirsa.

He said that the "double-engine government" in Haryana has implemented welfare schemes benefiting every section of society and that these efforts are being widely discussed across...