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Crime-Politics Nexus Likely to Dominate Punjab's 2027 Assembly Polls
Punjab, a state in India, will hold assembly elections in 2027.
For about twenty years, some politicians and criminals have been working together, and people call this a nexus.
These criminals use muscle power and fear to scare voters during elections.
Because of gang violence, extortion and drugs, many people in Punjab do not feel safe.
Only a little over half of young first-time voters cast their ballots in the last election.
People who study elections, like Professor Ashutosh Kumar, say this fear is pushing young people away from politics and even abroad.
Big national leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah say the state government must fix law and order.
Another leader, Sukhbir Badal, promises to treat gangsters and drug traffickers like terrorists if his party wins.
Election experts note that Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and AAP have all faced accusations of using muscle power.
Everyone agrees the crime problem will be one of the biggest topics when Punjab votes again.
Punjab's two-decade-old nexus between politicians and gangsters is likely to dominate the 2027 assembly election campaign.
Only 57 per cent of first-time voters cast ballots in 2022, with overall turnout falling from 78.45 per cent in 2012 to 72 per cent in 2022.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have accused the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government of presiding over a law-and-order breakdown.
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal promised to legally declare gangsters and drug traffickers as terrorists and demanded Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's resignation.
Crime registrations under the Congress and AAP regimes differed by just 1.48 per cent, amid incidents including Sidhu Moosewala's killing and RPG attacks on police stations.
- Who
- Politicians and gangsters in Punjab, plus Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, SAD chief Sukhbir Badal, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and the AAP, Congress, SAD and BJP parties.
- What
- A law-and-order crisis driven by the politician-gangster nexus that is expected to dominate the 2027 Punjab assembly elections.
- Where
- Punjab, India.
- When
- In the run-up to the 2027 Punjab assembly elections, drawing on data and events from 2012 through 2026.
- Why
- Muscle power used to influence elections, spiralling gang violence, extortion, narco-terrorism and political apathy among young voters have made crime a central political issue.
AAP-led government and sceptics of the narrative
BJP, SAD and opposition critics
Blame for the crime crisis
AAP-led government and sceptics of the narrative
Crime case registrations under the AAP regime differ from the Congress era by only a marginal 1.48 per cent, suggesting law enforcement levels are comparable across both administrations rather than a sudden AAP-driven collapse.
BJP, SAD and opposition critics
The law-and-order situation in Punjab is 'in shambles', with frequent gang wars, open extortion demands and attacks on police stations, and the state has been 'drowned in corruption, drugs and crime' under the Aam Aadmi Party government.
How to deal with gangsters and drug traffickers
AAP-led government and sceptics of the narrative
The political-gangster nexus is systemic: Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and AAP have all faced allegations of using muscle power to influence elections, so blaming any single government misses the deeper problem.
BJP, SAD and opposition critics
Gangsters and drug traffickers should be legally declared terrorists and dealt with using the maximum force of the law; SAD also says Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has lost moral authority and should resign.
Role of central agencies
AAP-led government and sceptics of the narrative
The BJP may be the political beneficiary of the law-and-order narrative, leveraging central agency interventions like the NIA to argue that state governance has failed and to boost its own electoral standing.
BJP, SAD and opposition critics
Strong central-backed security intervention is necessary because governance has failed, and only a firm apparatus with zero tolerance for organised crime can curb narco-terrorism and cross-border gangster networks.
Key facts
- State
- Punjab, India
- Next election
- 2027 Punjab Assembly Elections
- First-time voter turnout (2022)
- 57 per cent
- Overall turnout trend
- 78.45% (2012), 77% (2017), 72% (2022)
- Crime registration comparison (Congress vs AAP)
- Marginal 1.48 per cent difference in IPC/SLL cases
- High-profile incidents under AAP
- Killing of Sidhu Moosewala; RPG attacks on Mohali police intelligence HQ and Sarhali police station; storming of Ajnala police station by Amritpal Singh's 'Waris Punjab De' supporters
- SAD pledge for 2027
- Legally declare gangsters and drug traffickers as terrorists
- Parties involved
- Aam Aadmi Party, Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal, Bharatiya Janata Party
Quotes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
India’s Prime Minister
“"Law and order in Punjab is in shambles today. No one can predict when or where a gang war might break out or from which direction bullets might start flying."”
NDTV
Sources
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