India, Aug. 30 -- Jobs, drugs and migration remain key concerns as parties court young Punjabis

In Punjab, the road to the 2027 Assembly election is beginning to run through an unlikely political arena, the sports ground.

With a large young electorate and a generation increasingly shaped by Instagram, YouTube and short-form video, both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are trying to establish a direct connection with Gen Z. Sports has emerged as one of their preferred routes.

The timing is significant. Punjab will vote in 2027, and parties are already competing to shape the political conversation among younger voters. The BJP has stepped up its youth engagement through the Centre's Khelo India programmes an...