Buzz over a possible alliance between the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) grew on Tuesday amid reports of the former set to assume a “big brother” role if the two parties formed an alliance for the 2027 Assembly elections in Punjab.
Several political leaders, including from the SAD, Congress and AAP, reacted to the alliance buzz.
AAP leader Baltej Pannu on the other hand took a dig at SAD, claiming that the party was completely decimated in Punjab. “…In politics, it is the people themselves who decide who the ‘big brother’ is and who the ‘younger brother’ is; the parties do not make this decision…The Akali Dal (Badal) has been politically decimated in Punjab. Speculation around a possible BJP-SAD alliance continues despite the BJP’s clarification that it would contest the Punjab elections independently. “The BJP is fully prepared to make this change a reality.
“Whether it plays the role of an elder brother or a younger brother, whether they contest 117 seats or 17 seats, BJP is going to get zero seats in Punjab. Everyone knows what happened to them in 2017 and 2022. In the upcoming assembly elections, the BJP will contest all 117 assembly seats in Punjab and, by securing a victory, will form its government in the state,” BL Santosh was quoted as saying in BJP’s official statement.
SAD Vice President Sanjiv Talwar told news agency ANI that the final decisions rested in the hands of Sukhbir Singh Badal, but also shared his personal view on the matter: “The people of Punjab rightly feel that there is only one alliance capable of ousting the current government—an alliance between the Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP” The SAD official however also said that if at all the alliance happens, it would be based on specific issues and would carry a shared agenda. On reports of the BJP assuming a “big brother” role in the partnership, Talwar said: “I don’t think the question of who is the ‘big partner’ or ‘small partner’ will even arise. Let me tell you this in advance,” Punjab Minister Tarunpreet Singh told ANI. They are ready to do anything to save the reputation of the Badal family in the Assembly,” he said.
Speculation of the former allies reuniting first emerged earlier this month, after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also reacted to the alliance buzz. “The ground reality is that BJP supporters do not vote for the Akali Dal, and similarly, Akali Dal supporters do not vote for the BJP. So, Congress is not affected by either the BJP or SAD in the Punjab polls,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI .
