Chandigarh, Feb. 28 -- With the 2027 Punjab assembly elections less than a year away, the Bharatiya Janata Party has turned to Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini to establish an independent political footprint in the state and woo the sizeable Other Backward Class (OBC) and rural electorate. The saffron fold currently holds just two of the 117 seats in the Punjab assembly, reflecting the scale of the challenge before it. Saini, himself an OBC leader, has in recent months emerged as one of the most visible BJP faces in Punjab amid the party's aggressive push to strengthen its place in Punjab, following its split from its erstwhile ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal. According to information compiled from public appearances and social media posts, the Haryana chief minister has attended as many as 62 events across Punjab in the past five months, a frequency exceeding that of several senior state leaders. Political observers say the BJP's reliance on Saini is closely linked to caste arithmetic in the state. Punjab has nearly 31% OBC population, including communities such as Sainis and Ramgarhiyas, many of whom are Sikhs. "On certain seats along the Punjab-Haryana border, the Haryana chief minister can emerge as a strong influencing factor for the BJP. After Giani Zail Singh, Punjab has not witnessed a strong OBC leader. Giving prominence to OBCs through Saini could prove useful," said a former BJP minister. Several analysts believe the BJP is attempting to replicate the "Haryana Model" in Punjab - seeking to combine OBC, Dalit and Hindu votes. "In Punjab, the party appears keen to stitch together all sections except Jat Sikhs, who continue to harbour resentment against the BJP due to farm issues, especially the agitation against the three farm laws," said senior journalist Bakhtaur Dhillon from Bathinda. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dera Ballan, considered the centre of the Ravidassia community, the Padma Shri award to the dera head, and Saini's extensive outreach among OBCs are all part of a larger Punjab strategy. The last weekend illustrated the intensity of the BJP's aggressive push. On a single Saturday, Saini attended a function at the Punjab BJP headquarters in Chandigarh to induct youths into the party before travelling to Amritsar, nearly 240 km away, to address an OBC Sammelan in the evening. The following day, Saini reached Ludhiana to address the party's "Purvanchal Samman Rally" in the afternoon, before attending the wedding reception of Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa's daughter in the evening and holding meetings with BJP workers. Such schedules have become routine. Beyond political rallies, Saini has been frequently present at social gatherings, including weddings and condolence meetings, indicating an attempt to cultivate ground-level connect. During his visits, Saini has also made conscious cultural choices. At gatherings dominated by Punjabi-speaking audiences, he has often been seen wearing a saffron turban and delivering speeches in Punjabi. At events such as the Purvanchal Sammelan in Ludhiana, he addressed the audience in Hindi and appeared without a turban, signalling a tailored approach to different constituencies. In his speeches, he repeatedly targets the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government, drawing comparisons with Haryana's pro-farmer policies, including the provision of minimum support price (MSP) on all crops, including vegetables. Supporters say his use of rustic Punjabi mixed with satire is striking a chord with audiences. Saini represents the Ladwa assembly segment in Haryana, a Punjabi-speaking belt, though his roots lie in rural Ambala. Within the Punjab BJP, insiders claim his influence has grown to the extent that every induction into the party - whether of a prominent leader or a smaller local figure - is being finalised after consultations with him. His prominence also comes at a time of leadership vacuum within the state unit. The Punjab BJP has been without a state affairs in-charge since the death of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani in a plane crash in June last year. Former state chief Sunil Jakhar stepped down from his post and has reportedly stayed away from organisational meetings, while working president Ashwani Sharma is not a full-fledged state president, compounding the situation. Often referred to as "Sardar Nayab Singh Saini" by local party leaders, he has been projected not only as an administratorbut also as a community representative. According to data, Sainis account for nearly 18 lakh voters in certain pockets across districts such as Mohali, Rupnagar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Hoshiarpur and Patiala. According to a senior Saini community leader from Tanda, the Haryana chief minister recently hosted prominent social figures from the community and encouraged them to strengthen the BJP's presence in Punjab. Members of the delegation described the outreach as an effort to increase the community's political participation. However, experts remaincautious about the BJP'scalculations. Institute of Development and Communication's professor Pramod Kumar said the BJP's intent to mobilise OBCs through Saini was evident, but may not deliver the desired results. "Punjab's caste dynamics are far more complex than Haryana's. A simple OBC-Dalit-Hindu combination may not work here. Most OBCs in Punjab are Sikhs, and even among Sainis, religious affiliations are divided between Hinduism and Sikhism," he observed. Party's working president Ashwani Sharma maintained that Saini's appeal extended beyond caste considerations. "He does not represent any particular caste. As the Haryana chief minister, Saini represents strong governance - MSP on all crops, including vegetables, the highest social security pensions in the country, top industrial growth, and robust law and order. He is acting as the BJP's torchbearer in Punjab by exposing the failures of the AAP government," Sharma said. AAP leaders, meanwhile, asserted that instead of seeking political mileage in Punjab, the Haryana chief minister should focus on addressing pressing issues within his own state. AAP national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda also accused Saini of using "the hard-earned money" of Haryana's people to "buy MLAs in Punjab" as part of what AAP described as "Operation Lotus". Dhanda said the alleged efforts amounted to an attack on democratic processes and called on the Haryana government to focus on governance issues within the state instead of political activity in Punjab....