Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon is likely to contest the 2027 Assembly elections from Ludhiana North, with an internal party report reportedly identifying the constituency as a “safe seat for him”.The speculation has gathered momentum with Dhillon making frequent visits to Ludhiana to meet party cadre and hoardings bearing his name appearing at several places in the constituency.Unconfirmed reports also suggest that Dhillon has secured a place in the Civil Lines area of Ludhiana North for political activities.Party sources said fielding Dhillon “would not only ensure his victory from North but also prove vital for the party in all 14 constituencies of Ludhiana”, including the six urban segments — North, West, East, Atam Nagar, South and Central.Ludhiana North is being considered a “safe seat” for the BJP chief because of the past voting pattern, with the BJP having secured a lead from this Assembly segment in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.Party leaders feel that Ludhiana, Punjab’s largest industrial and commercial city, offers an advantage. Contesting from Ludhiana would give industrialists and traders direct access to the Centre through the state party chief. The leaders believe this could help it consolidate support among the business community.Several senior leaders from Ludhiana North were already in the race for the ticket. The party has often lost the seat by narrow margins amid alleged factionalism. Fielding the state president is seen as a move to end internal rivalry.Senior leaders, including Punjab BJP general secretary Anil Sarin, Parveen Bansal, Narinder Singh Malli and Mahesh Dutt Sharma, are among those in the fray. They have been undertaking political activities in the constituency to woo voters.There were also rumours that former Union Minister of State Ravneet Bittu was in the race to contest from Ludhiana North, as he had secured a good number of votes during the parliamentary elections.In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Bittu secured 53,725 votes from the Ludhiana North Assembly segment, while Congress’s Amarinder Singh Raja Warring got 31,415 votes. Party leaders believe that fielding the BJP chief from North would increase the party’s vote share and improve its prospects of winning the seat.Despite consecutive Assembly defeats, the party’s traditional vote bank remained intact. In 2012, party candidate Parveen Bansal polled 46,048 votes and lost by 2,168 votes. In 2017, he secured 39,732 votes and lost by 5,132 votes. In 2022, he got 35,822 votes and lost by a wider margin of 15,282 votes.Past elections have also shown that the Ludhiana North seat has historically favoured national parties. Late senior BJP leader Harish Bedi had won from here earlier, while Congress veteran Rakesh Pandey was elected seven times.Although Dhillon has a traditional base in Barnala, he had won the seat in 2007 and 2012 when he was in the Congress. After 2012, he faced successive defeats. In 2017, he lost to AAP’s Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer by 2,432 votes. In the 2024 Assembly by-election, contesting on a BJP ticket, he finished a distant third with 17,958 votes.