The election battle in Ropar district has begun, with political parties increasingly shifting their focus to direct voter mobilisation. While the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has taken an early lead on the ground, the BJP is witnessing an intense internal contest for tickets in the district. The Congress is attempting to overcome factional divisions that have left the party cadre in slumber.The emerging political scenario is particularly visible in the Anandpur Sahib Assembly constituency, where the BJP’s internal competition is threatening to become a bigger talking point than its battle with rival parties.State BJP vice-president Subhash Sharma has emerged as the most prominent BJP aspirant for the Anandpur Sahib ticket. Sharma has stepped up his visits to rural areas, while his social media campaign highlights his interactions with voters and participation in local programmes.He is presenting himself as a leader who can serve as a political bridge between Punjab and the Centre and deliver major projects for the constituency. He has also bought a house in the constituency to counter the outsider narrative.However, several local BJP leaders are arguing that the party should give the ticket to someone local. Former Nangal Municipal Council president Rajesh Chaudhary and BJP worker Govardhan Sony are among those who have openly staked their claims and held press conferences to make their aspirations clear.The rivalry has already begun affecting the BJP’s campaign atmosphere. Local leaders and Sharma’s supporters reportedly came close to an open confrontation during the BJP’s drug-free Punjab rally in Nangal. Though the dispute did not escalate into a major clash, the incident exposed the growing friction within the party.The AAP, which has already moved into election mode across Ropar district, is stepping up its voter outreach. Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and Anandpur Sahib MLA Dinesh Chadha have increased direct contact with voters, holding small meetings in villages and towns and visiting individual households. Bains has been particularly active in reaching out to targeted groups of voters who are considered capable of influencing the wider electorate.The AAP’s campaign is increasingly combining conventional political mobilisation with data-driven voter outreach. Feedback is reportedly being collected through phone calls regarding the performance of sitting MLAs, while online forms are being used to collect demands from residents and identify development priorities.The CM Tirath Yatra has provided AAP leaders with another opportunity to interact directly with voters. Ministers and MLAs have been seen when buses carrying pilgrims leave for religious destinations, meeting passengers and touching the feet of elderly voters.The Congress, meanwhile, has yet to match the pace of its rivals on the ground. The uncertainty over the Punjab Congress leadership had kept the party’s organisational machinery relatively subdued. With Pargat Singh now appointed state president in place of Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, the party faces the immediate challenge of putting its workers in electoral mobilisation mode.In Ropar, the local organisation has remained divided between factions associated with former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and those aligned with Raja Warring.The question now is whether Pargat Singh can bring these competing groups onto a common platform before the election campaign gathers further momentum.For the AAP, the challenge is to convert its early organisational advantage and government schemes into votes while defending the performance of its sitting MLAs.For the BJP, the immediate challenge is to settle the ticket question and prevent internal rivalry from weakening its campaign.For the Congress, the priority is to rebuild unity, activate its workers and establish a credible campaign before its rivals consolidate their positions.