The anticipated alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Punjab has faltered, as reported by sources to India Today TV. The state leadership of the saffron party was reportedly not inclined towards forming an alliance with the Akali Dal, which had previously been part of the NDA but departed due to disagreements over the three farm laws.
The BJP shifted its strategy following the announcement by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that it would contest all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. Sources also indicated that the SAD applied pressure on the BJP, particularly concerning issues related to the farmers’ movement and the release of Sikh prisoners.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP and Akali Dal had joined forces, securing victory in 4 out of 13 seats. The BJP contested three seats, winning two, while the Akali Dal contested 10 seats and secured victory in two.
Sunny Deol clinched the Gurdaspur seat, and Som Parkash emerged victorious in the Hoshiarpur seat for the BJP. The late Parkash Singh Badal, the SAD’s patriarch and former Punjab Chief Minister, severed ties with the BJP in 2020 amidst the farmers’ protest against the now-repealed farm laws.
Responding to speculations about the Akali Dal rejoining the NDA, Sukhbir Singh Badal, the President of the Akali Dal, stated, “I am currently leading the ‘Punjab Bachao Yatra,’ and our alliance is with BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party). They (Congress and AAP) are thieves and have ruined Punjab.”
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, on Saturday, announced that the AAP would declare its candidates for all 13 seats in the next 10–15 days. He urged the public to support AAP and ensure a sweeping victory in all 14 seats.
