Vibe Punjab Di: Akali Dal ramps up Gen Z outreach ahead of 2027 Punjab polls
Shiromani Akali Dal is stepping up its youth outreach ahead of the Punjab elections, with its targeted Gen Z campaign, ‘Vibe Punjab Di’, aimed at building a direct connect with young and first-time voters.
The ‘Vibe Punjab Di’ campaign was held on October 1 at Khalsa College in Patiala, where SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal interacted directly with students in a new and informal avatar. He took questions on a wide range of issues, including law and order, Punjab’s economy, the state’s debt, unemployment and jobs, while also offering students a glimpse into his personal life.
Young women questioned Badal directly about his stance on the state’s poor law and order situation, while a food blogger asked him about his food preferences. Badal also spoke about his relationship with his daughters, adding a personal dimension to the interaction.
The event drew an enthusiastic response from students, with the venue packed as young participants cheered, asked questions and engaged with the SAD president. Unlike a conventional political speech, the format gave students an opportunity to interact directly with Badal on issues affecting them as well as aspects of his personal life.
The ‘Vibe Punjab Di’ initiative marks a focused attempt by the SAD to reach a younger generation and first-time voters as the party seeks to broaden its connect beyond its traditional voter base. The party is also preparing to take what it describes as the AAP government’s failures directly to the youth as part of its wider campaign.
The youth outreach comes alongside an intensification of the party’s grassroots campaign. From October 6, the SAD will begin a door-to-door campaign across Punjab, highlighting what it describes as the failures of the AAP government and seeking public feedback for its manifesto.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal’s ‘Maavan-Dhiyan Insaaf Yatra’ is also set to intensify, with the women-led campaign taking up issues including drugs and women’s concerns across Punjab.
Sukhbir Singh Badal is further set to undertake a statewide bus yatra in November, taking the campaign directly to voters across the state.- Ends
Kamaljit Sandhu is an award winning journalist working as Deputy Editor in India Today. She has nearly two decades of experience as a full time TV journalist. She covers "conflict" regions, Internal security matters, MEA and Parliament. Her work has often led to crisscrossing the country. She has also traveled to Pakistan and Iran, in pursuit of news stories. In 2019, she received the ENBA Award for best news programming for her ground report on "surviving Bastar" which was based on the government's policy on inducting tribals in Crpf in chattisgarh to counter naxals.
Personal interests: Kamaljit likes travelling, interior decoration and playing scrabble, Has varied interests in sporting activities like swimming, badminton and Yoga.
