BJP wants bigger brother role as Akali Dal signals tie-up ahead of 2027 Punjab polls

Speculation over a possible Akali Dal-BJP reconciliation has intensified after Sukhbir Singh Badal's recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Several SAD leaders have hinted at an alliance ahead of the 2027 Punjab polls, but the BJP wants the bigger piece of the pie.

In Short

• BJP demands 'bigger brother' role for any alliance, potential claim on CM post
• Recent meeting between Sukhbir Badal and PM Modi fuels alliance speculation
• SAD's Harsimrat Kaur also hints at 'agreements' to facilitate progress in Punjab

Ahead of next year's Punjab assembly polls, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is increasingly signalling its willingness to revive its alliance with the BJP. However, the BJP has made it clear that any alliance would have to come with a "bigger brother" role for the party.

Akali Dal general secretary Bikram Singh Majithia on Friday said an alliance between the two parties was the "need of the hour" for Punjab, a day after his sister and former Union Minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal dropped similar hints at a rally in Sangrur.

The speculation around a potential reconcilliation between the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP has been rife and was fuelled by the recent meetin between Sukhbir Singh Badal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Several other key Akali Dal leaders have hinted at a possible alliance ahead of next year's Punjab assembly elections, but the BJP is eyeing the bigger piece of the pie.

"Alliance is the need of the hour for Punjab and the people of Punjab also want this alliance to happen. People have seen the SAD-BJP alliance in Punjab, and today it is very important for law and order, communal harmony and national security," Majithia told India Today.

He said the alliance had broken down over the contentious farm laws, but circumstances had changed since then. "Things have changed now, and the gear must change," he stressed.

BJP SEEKS BIGGER ROLE

The BJP, however, has indicated that it is not looking to return to its earlier position in the alliance.

Punjab BJP vice-president Fateh Jang Bajwa said the party was preparing to contest all 117 Assembly seats in the state and would consider an alliance only if their side was given the "bigger brother" role.

"BJP is not the same party which it was five years ago, and we are working on contesting all 117 seats in Punjab. If the Shiromani Akali Dal considers a 'bigger brother' role for the BJP, then only the high command can think," Bajwa told India Today.

He said the BJP's organisational strength had grown significantly at the grassroots level.

"The way BJP is working at the booth and ground level, we don't need anyone. But if an alliance happens, then SAD has to give clarity that BJP will be the 'big brother'," he said, adding that a bigger role would imply a larger share of seats and potentially the party's claim to the chief minister's post.

SPECULATION RIFE AFTER KEY MEETING

Speculation about a possible alliance has intensified following a recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal. The meeting was the first between the two leaders in several years.

The SAD and BJP had been allies in Punjab for decades before their relationship broke down over the farm laws. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who was a Union minister in the NDA government, resigned from the Union Cabinet in 2020, after which the SAD walked out of the alliance. The split proved costly for both parties in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, which Arvind Kejriwal's AAP swept. The Akali Dal managed to win only three seats, while the BJP secured two.

The BJP, however, significantly improved its vote share in Punjab in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Although it failed to win a single seat, its vote share rose to 18.56 per cent, ahead of the SAD's 13.42 per cent. The SAD won the vital Bathinda Lok Sabha seat as well.

'ALLIANCE CAN BENEFIT BOTH PARTIES'

Political expert Professor Kuldeep Singh, a retired professor from Guru Nanak Dev University, said a renewed alliance could benefit both parties. "It is up to the parties whether an alliance happens or not, but it is a gain for both parties as both had run an alliance with commendable success in the past," he said.

He added that both the Akali Dal and the BJP had weakened in Punjab after their separation and that their past electoral performance indicated the potential benefits of coming together.

"Both are weak without each other and the past results are the real indicators," Singh said.

According to him, an alliance could further strengthen the BJP while helping the SAD consolidate its position among the various Akali factions in Punjab.

HARSIMRAT BADAL'S 'AGREEMENT' HINT FUELS BUZZ

Fresh speculation about a possible SAD-BJP reunion began after SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal made cryptic remarks at a party conference in Sangrur on Thursday. Speaking on the demand for a skill university, she said she was holding back from speaking further and that people would soon know what was going to happen.

The former Union Minister also expressed hope that "such agreements" would once again facilitate development and progress in the western state from Delhi. Her remarks were widely considered as a hint at a possible political understanding with the BJP, though neither side has officially confirmed that a reconciliation is being discussed.

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