BJP, Akali Dal likely to join hands in Punjab for Lok Sabha polls, talks underway

BJP, Akali Dal likely to join hands in Punjab for Lok Sabha polls, talks underway

The political landscape in Punjab is stirring once again as talks of a possible re-alliance between the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls have resurfaced. Voting for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will take place on June 1.

Confirming the developments, senior BJP leader and party spokesperson SS Channy told India Today TV that discussions between the two parties in Punjab were underway.Â

“Talks are on. It will take some time. The Akali Dal will hold a core committee meeting on March 22. After they decide, a formal meeting will be held between BJP and SAD. The final decision on the alliance will be taken by the BJP high-command,” Channy said.

The core committee meeting of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will take place in Chandigarh.Â

Senior Akali Dal leader and party General Secretary Dr Daljit Singh Cheema also confirmed that various issues, including the election alliance, would be deliberated upon during the meeting.

“Whenever there is a core committee meeting, all issues are discussed in detail. The situation of the country and Punjab, along with the strategy, will also come up for discussions,” Cheema said, hinting at the possibility of an alliance with a “like-minded” political party.

Sources close to SAD also revealed that initially, the party was hesitant to re-align with the BJP due to unresolved issues such as a legal framework for Minimum Support Price (MSP) and the release of Sikh prisoners, among others.

Meanwhile, reacting to the potential SAD-BJP alliance, Punjab’s Leader of the Opposition, Pratap Singh Bajwa, expressed concerns, stating that such a move could be detrimental to SAD’s interests, particularly its stance on farmers’ issues and religion.

“The BJP will be able to strengthen its foothold in Punjab if the alliance takes place. However, this could spell doom for the SAD, which claims to champion the cause of farmers and religious issues but has failed to deliver,” Bajwa cautioned.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress emerged victorious in eight out of 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. The BJP and SAD secured two seats each, followed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with a single seat.

In September 2020, the Shiromani Akali Dal severed ties with the BJP and withdrew from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) due to the contentious farm laws put forth by the central government.

Following extensive farmer protests, the government eventually repealed these laws. Despite this, SAD has continued to extend support to the NDA on several occasions, including matters related to ‘One Nation, One Election’ and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).