The BJP on Tuesday welcomed a former Congress MLA and an Akali Dal leader into its fold, as the ruling party at the Centre is seen struggling to get a foothold in Punjab, battered by the raging anti-farmers sentiment in the border state.

Many sidelined and not very significant leaders from Punjab have embraced the BJP in the run-up to the polls next month and the party has sought to project them as instances of its growing acceptance and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity in the state.

Internally, however, BJP leaders acknowledge that the farmers’ protest for more than a year has generated a deep dislike for their party in the state and desperate efforts were being made to counter the anger.

The BJP, which for decades had banked on the Sikh-centric ally Akali Dal to register presence in the state, has lost the partner because of the farmers’ protest and has tied up with former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s newly floated party and a breakaway faction of the Akali Dal headed by Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa.

None of the two allies, Amarinder’s Punjab Lok Congress and Dhindsa’s Shiromani Akali Dal-Sanyukta, has any significant support base across the state.

The BJP, however, hopes to use whatever support they can lend to get a foothold in the Pakistan-bordering state, considered key to the party’s brand of “nationalist politics”.

“Punjab is a very key state, considering the safety and security of the country. The BJP cannot afford to be a marginal player in the state,” a BJP leader said.

Party leaders said the BJP’s target is to bag a couple of seats and poll a decent percentage of votes so that it’s able to show that the people of Punjab have not rejected them.

“Currently, our rivals are projecting that the BJP is hated by the people of Punjab. We want to prove them wrong,” a Punjab BJP leader said, while acknowledging that the farmers’ protest has indeed generated an atmosphere against them in the state.

The hue and cry over breach of Modi’s security in Punjab, party insiders said, was aimed to create a buzz and underline the importance of the “nationalist BJP” to play a role in the affairs of Punjab.

Party strategists said the Prime Minister’s security breach issue and the statements given by separatist Khalistani elements would help in attracting the urban voters, mainly Hindus, towards the BJP.

Feedback from the ground has shown that the Aam Aadmi Party has managed to sway the urban voters, considered to be BJP voters.

Modi’s sudden decision to repeal the farm laws has also been described by BJP strategists as a move targeted to lessen the anger of the dominant Sikh community and win over the trust of the Hindus.

In the Sikh majority state, the Punjabi Hindus approximately make up over 38 per cent of the population. A large chunk of the Hindus, too, had joined the protest against the farm laws and the BJP hopes the repeal step would give them a reason to vote for the party.

For the Sikh votes, the BJP is largely dependent upon Dhindsa and former chief minister Amarinder, who quit the Congress.

Unlike the time when it had the Akali Dal as its ally, the BJP is playing the senior role in the new formation. In alliance with the Akali Dal, the BJP got to contest just 23 of the 117 Assembly seats. This time it plans to contest around 50 seats, hoping to garner enough votes to show it has acceptability in the state.

The upcoming polls in Punjab is being seen as a closely fought election between the ruling Congress and the AAP. The BJP and its partners hope that if they manage to get some seats then they can play a decisive role in case of a split verdict.