Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak’s meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah has fuelled speculation within the BJP about the former Aam Aadmi Party strategist being given an important role in the party’s Punjab strategy.Pathak, the only one among the AAP leaders who recently defected to land a key organisational role in the BJP, met Shah on Wednesday.“Had the privilege of meeting Hon’ble Home Minister Shri Amit Shah Ji yesterday. Grateful for his time, guidance and encouragement. Looking forward to contributing towards further strengthening the Party and advancing the vision of a Viksit Bharat,” Pathak said after meeting Shah.There is anticipation within the BJP that Pathak could be utilised in Punjab, where he helped establish a strong ground connect that played a role in the AAP’s historic win in 2022.Pathak was the AAP’s Punjab in-charge at the time and was widely seen as having created a network of winning strategies using his strengths in data analysis and number crunching.A former assistant professor at IIT-Delhi, Pathak is known to be deeply familiar with Punjab and several of the sitting MLAs in whose ticket selection he played a major role in 2022.The BJP is likely to task Pathak with fresh strategising in the state, where internal party surveys have reportedly thrown up evidence of anti-incumbency against many sitting AAP lawmakers.Going forward, the BJP is expected to bank on AAP rebels to play spoilsport in the border state, given indications that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party may deny tickets to many sitting MLAs to counter the anti-incumbency factor.Pathak could have a role in assessing the impact of anti-incumbency against ruling party MLAs in Punjab and the influence the rebels could have.The strategist may also help pinpoint winnable seats amid signs of ongoing back-channel parleys between estranged partners BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal, which are exploring a pre-poll alliance.