Sunday, April 28

Lok Sabha Elections: BJP To Go Solo In Punjab; No Alliance With Akali Dal

Edited by Aishwarya Krishnan
Lok Sabha Elections: BJP To Go Solo In Punjab; No Alliance With Akali Dal (image-X/sunilkjakhar)

The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) announced today that the party will be contesting the Lok Sabha elections alone in Punjab and will not be forming an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

State president Sunil Kumar Jakhar took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to inform that the decision to not tie up with Akali Dal, one of the BJP’s oldest allies, was taken after the opinions of party workers and people in the state. He also added that the welfare of the youth, farmers, businessmen, and the backward community in the state.

Amidst farmers protests against the BJP-led central government, Jakhar stated that every grain since the last ten years was purchased at the minimum support price (MSP), and the money had reached the farmers’ accounts within weeks.

He added that the much-requested Kartarpur corridor opened its doors for visa-free ‘darshan’ of the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara across the Pakistan border. Mr. Jakhar added that it was made possible under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the blessings of Waheguru.

He concluded by expressing his hope that the people of Punjab will vote for the BJP to maintain and strengthen peace in the state and contribute to the development of the nation.

Mr. Jakhar’s statement comes amidst speculations of an alliance between the SAD and the BJP if both reach a consensus regarding seat-sharing in Punjab. The two parties had previously joined hands as part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the national level. The parties had also allied up in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Punjab. However, they failed to achieve their desired results. The BJP, SAD, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won the remaining five seats.

The Congress secured eight parliamentary seats, breaking the Modi wave that had taken over northern and central states in 2019 elections.

In September 2020, SAD severed ties with the saffron party over the controversial farm laws. Farmer unions in the state began a fresh agitation in February, demanding a legal guarantee on MSP. The party’s core committee met on March 22 to discuss its election strategy. Sukhbir Singh Badal, the SAD president, had previously denied allying with the BJP. However, he did not rule out the possibility of an alliance in the future.

The voting for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will take place on June 1.