Chandigarh, August 10: The Bharatiya Janata Party will not form an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections, according to Haryana Chief Minister and BJP Punjab campaign lead Nayab Singh Saini.
The clarification arrives amid media speculation generated by a recent meeting between Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which political observers viewed as a potential precursor to a reunited coalition.
Ties between the former allies dissolved in September 2020 during the farm law protests, ending a multi-decade electoral partnership that yielded joint state governments in 1997, 2007, and 2012. Subsequent solo campaigns by both parties in the 2022 Assembly polls resulted in significant losses for each side.
Downplaying the political import of the interaction in New Delhi, Saini maintained that Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains accessible to leaders from across the nation as the head of the central government.
Affirming the political direction of the party during a press briefing, Saini stated, “The BJP’s alliance is with the people of Punjab.”
Addressing the widespread reports surrounding the high-level meeting, Saini affirmed, “It is surprising that the meeting led to political speculation, with some even celebrating as if an appointment itself guaranteed a tie-up.”
