The political churn in Delhi is beginning to reverberate in Punjab’s Doaba region, with parties reassessing their strategies ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections amid growing protests and discontent among the youth.BJP leaders fear that images of young protesters being pushed, injured and detained by Delhi Police, widely circulated on social media, could hurt the party’s prospects in Punjab. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress, meanwhile, are attempting to capitalise on the developments.The social media teams of both parties have been circulating videos of the protests to reach Punjabi youth. AAP has also highlighted the controversy surrounding the police entering the premises of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi.A former BJP district office-bearer, speaking on condition of anonymity, admitted that the developments had dented the party’s momentum in Punjab.“We had been quite upbeat over the past few months, with considerable enthusiasm among cadres following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two visits to Jalandhar. Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s rally was also expected to strengthen the party. But the Delhi episode has cast a shadow over these major activities,” he said.AAP, which had faced controversies following action by the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation, appears to be gaining traction amid the developments in Delhi.The Congress, however, likely to benefit, with its leaders accusing the BJP-led Centre of authoritarian politics and questioning its handling of electoral process.Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Pargat Singh, who represents Doaba’s Jalandhar region, said the Congress leadership and workers were continuing to challenge the Centre. Indian Youth Congress activist Gurmehar Kaur, also from Jalandhar, has emerged as a prominent face in the ongoing protests.BJP spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill, however, dismissed suggestions that the Delhi protests would influence Punjab’s electoral landscape.He termed the demonstrations an attempt to destabilise the Union Government and argued that Punjab’s pressing concerns remained drug abuse and unemployment. He also accused the Congress and AAP of jointly fuelling the unrest.Shergill maintained that politically aligned youth participating in the protests did not represent Punjab’s wider youth population, asserting that young people would identify with sporting achievers such as athlete Gurvindervir Singh rather than political activists such as Abhijeet Dipke.With the Assembly elections approaching, the impact of the Delhi developments on Punjab’s political mood remains uncertain.