Sangrur/Chandigarh, August 21 — The BJP has ordered an immediate assessment of its strongest electoral pockets in Punjab following a viral speech by Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal that strongly pointed toward a reconciliation. The strategic assessment focuses on approximately 50 of the state’s 117 assembly seats, marking a significant shift in the state’s political landscape as national leaders keep a close eye on the developing situation.
While the BJP’s official policy remains focused on fighting the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections alone, the internal review provides the groundwork for a swift coalition agreement if the leadership decides to rebuild the traditional partnership.
“I hope that old alliances and understandings, under which Punjab’s development-related work was supported from Delhi, can be restored,” Harsimrat Badal said at the death anniversary event of former Akali leader Harchand Singh Longowal. “It is not for me to speak openly on the matter, and people will come to know at the right time.”
The sudden political warmth is the culmination of months of gradual policy alignment and direct personal engagement between the high commands of both parties. The SAD recently provided crucial legislative backing to the BJP-led central government by supporting its positions on the women’s reservation bill and upcoming delimitation exercises, signaling a departure from their previous adversarial stance.
This legislative cooperation has been mirrored by increased executive interaction, particularly regarding security issues. Harsimrat Badal has bypassed the state government to write twice to Home Minister Amit Shah in recent weeks, specifically requesting a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into local paper leaks and a National Investigation Agency inquiry into a recent attack on her husband.
The federal leadership has responded with deliberate warmth, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and Rajnath Singh all made personal phone calls to the Badal family following the Nanded incident. This follows an earlier face-to-face meeting between the Prime Minister and the SAD president in Parliament, which observers view as the foundational step toward the current political realignment.
