Ballot, Blessings, Babas: How Deras Shape Punjab Politics Ahead Of Polls

With every passing minute, the battle for Punjab is getting feistier. On June 24, the BJP-led centre honoured Sant Niranjan Das, head of the Dera Sachkhand Ballan, with the Padma Shri. This move is not merely the Centre recognising the efforts of a spiritual leader. Rather, as per experts, it is a carefully crafted manoeuvre that carries immense moral and political weight.

For decades, Punjab politics has not just been fought along party, religious, and caste lines. One unassuming but tremendously significant factor has been the deras operating out of Punjab. Every dera in the state commands a crucial vote bank, enough to sway an election in favour of or against any political party. As elections draw closer, parties scramble to keep the deras in good humour to secure a decree to vote in their favour.

Majorly, there are three deras that influence voters in Punjab: Dera Sachkhand Ballan, Dera Sacha Sauda, and Radha Soami Satsang Beas.

Dera Sachkhand Ballan

In the Doaba region of Punjab, comprising Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, and Kapurthala, the political landscape shifts entirely toward Dera Sachkhand Ballan. The dera serves as the spiritual capital of the Ravidassia community, who are primarily Chamar Dalits and make up a decisive demographic block across roughly 19 assembly constituencies in the Doaba region.

This region was also the bastion of former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who hails from the Ravidassia community and enjoys popular support amongst the community. Channi frequently marks his presence at the dera, which has historically helped elect him to Parliament.

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On February 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the dera in Jalandhar on the occasion of Guru Ravidas Jayanti. This marked the first time a sitting prime minister visited the sect's headquarters--a strategic move ahead of the state assembly elections. The PM's visit triggered the ruling AAP in Punjab to swing into action as well. From allocating land for dera activities to personally receiving the spiritual leader at the railway station, the AAP has also tried to appease the dera, through which the avenues to the Dalit vote in Punjab open up.

Crucially, the dera has established Ravidassia as a separate religion, which complicates its relationship with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), a party that aims to cater primarily to the Panthic (Sikh) vote.

In a state with a roughly 32% Dalit population, keeping the Dalit vote in Doaba dictates the survival of any mainstream political party. Therefore, parties attempt to keep Dera Sachkhand Ballan in good humour as an unwritten law of campaigning.

Dera Sacha Sauda

Comprising nearly half of Punjab's 117 assembly seats, the Malwa region is the traditional kingmaker of state politics. It is also the playground of Dera Sacha Sauda, the main headquarters for which lies in Sirsa, Haryana. Despite severe legal convictions and the controversies surrounding its chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the dera's Premis (followers) maintain a highly disciplined, decisive electorate. Experts suggest that owing to backlash by Sikh groups over beadi (sacrilege) allegations and the gravity of allegations that the dera chief faces, leaders often choose to maintain a low public profile with the dera. However, in a tight, multi-cornered contest, a late-night whisper from the dera high command to back a specific party can cleanly swing 15 to 20 seats, turning a close race into a crushing defeat.

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Historically, Dera Sacha Sauda has openly backed various political parties (including Congress, the BJP, and SAD) to move elections. However, this support has frequently put them in direct opposition to AAP, which has historically campaigned against the dera influence. Over the course of the past few years, the dera chief has been released several times ahead of polls, a move that has often raised eyebrows. Opposition parties allege that the saffron party leverages the leader's clout for electoral gain.

Conversely, the AAP-led Punjab government has maintained a firm stance against the dera leadership, expressing concerns that the frequent paroles granted to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh could trigger law-and-order problems in the state.

Radha Soami Satsang Beas

Moving up North, near Amritsar, one would find the massive Radha Soami Satsang Beas that holds influence over as many as 19 seats in Punjab. The Radha Soami leadership is not known to issue public voting decrees. Yet, because its follower base spans millions of disciples and tightly knit citizens across all castes, it remains the ultimate pilgrimage site for politicians.

Sharing a stage with the Beas leadership earns politicians an invaluable stamp of legitimacy that text-heavy manifestos simply cannot buy.

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Shortly after his appointment in May 2026, the newly appointed Punjab BJP state president, Kewal Singh Dhillon, began his outreach program by paying a visit to Radha Soami Satsang Beas, where he met and sought the blessings of dera head Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon. The Shiromani Akali Dal has also been spotted with the dera chief. Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon even visited Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Majithia in Nabha jail when he was lodged there in February 2026. The dera chief even termed the charges against the Akali Dal leader as false. Majithia is also related to the dera chief.

The visit sparked a political row, with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann posting a cryptic Punjabi couplet, which was viewed by many as him slamming the dera chief for his visit and comments. The incident marked one of the few times a sitting chief minister actively slammed a dera chief over his stance.

As Punjab goes to the polls in 2027, many parties are strategically pitching themselves to be the guardians of the dera vote. Who the deras vote for and which party emerges as the winner will be something that all eyes remain glued on.