The possibility of a fresh alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiromani Akali Dal has once again become a major talking point in Punjab politics, but as of now, there is no official alliance between the two parties.
The latest statement has come from Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who is leading the BJP's political campaign in poll-bound Punjab. On Monday, Saini ruled out any possibility of an alliance with the SAD, saying that the BJP's alliance is with the people of Punjab and speaking to the media, Saini said, “The alliance of the BJP is with people of Punjab.” He also claimed that the BJP would form the next government in Punjab.
His statement comes days after SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, a meeting that immediately triggered speculation about whether the former allies could come together again for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
Sukhbir Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. The details of their conversation have not been made public and since then, the meeting became politically significant because the BJP and SAD had been allies for more than two decades before their relationship broke down in 2020.
Reacting to the speculation surrounding the meeting, Saini said that Modi, as Prime Minister, represents 140 crore people and can meet anyone and he also expressed surprise that the meeting had led to talk of an alliance, according to the background information available, the meeting followed discussions between SAD leaders and Saini in Chandigarh. Saini is understood to have acted as an important link between the two sides during the recent communication.
Before travelling to Delhi, Sukhbir Badal had reportedly met Saini at his official residence, Sant Kabir Kutir, in Chandigarh. Senior SAD leaders Balwinder Singh Bhundar and Dr Daljit Singh Cheema were also reportedly part of earlier discussions with Saini and according to sources, the discussions included the possibility of cooperation in the 2027 Punjab elections, along with issues such as delimitation and the Women's Reservation Bill, however, none of these discussions has resulted in a publicly announced alliance so far.
The BJP and SAD were partners for around 23 years and jointly governed Punjab three times and the alliance formed governments in the state from 1997 to 2002, 2007 to 2012 and 2012 to 2017. The relationship began to break down over the Centre's three farm laws introduced in 2020.
The SAD initially supported the farm legislation but later opposed the laws amid growing farmers' protests. In September 2020, the party walked out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), formally ending its long-standing alliance with the BJP and the two parties subsequently fought the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections separately. Both suffered major electoral setbacks.
The BJP's electoral footprint in Punjab has traditionally been smaller than that of the SAD, particularly because the BJP contested a limited number of Assembly seats under the old alliance arrangement.
The latest developments come months ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections and according to sources cited in the background information, both sides have reasons to consider political cooperation. For the BJP, one challenge is its electoral position in Punjab. The party has historically depended on its alliance with the SAD to contest a larger political space in the state.
For the SAD, the challenge is different. The party has been trying to retain its traditional political support base, particularly among sections of the Panthic electorate, while the emergence of other political groups and factions has also changed the political landscape in Punjab.
Sources have also pointed to the growing influence of Waris Punjab De, the organisation associated with MP Amritpal Singh, in some rural and Panthic areas and at the same time, the SAD has faced internal and electoral challenges since its separation from the BJP. These factors have contributed to renewed discussions about whether the two parties could benefit from working together.
Even if the BJP and SAD decide to work together, seat sharing could become one of the biggest issues and under their previous alliance, the BJP generally contested around 22 to 23 Assembly seats in Punjab, while the SAD contested the larger share, but the political situation has changed since then and according to sources, a possible formula being discussed would give the BJP around 42 Assembly seats, almost twice the number it contested under the earlier arrangement, however, this is only a reported possibility.
As of now, there is no confirmed BJP-SAD alliance for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
The recent meetings indicate that communication between the two parties has increased and that the possibility of political cooperation has been discussed. Sukhbir Badal's meeting with PM Modi, along with earlier meetings between SAD leaders and Nayab Singh Saini, has added to the speculation.
But Saini's latest public statement is clear: he has ruled out an alliance with the SAD.