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Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal has given the clearest indication yet that the possibility of a renewed alliance between the SAD and the Bharatiya Janata Party is being considered ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. Addressing an Akali Dal conference in Sangrur on Thursday on the 41st death anniversary of Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, Harsimrat Badal stopped short of making a formal announcement but made a cryptic reference to “agreements” through which development work could once again come to Punjab from Delhi. Her remarks have immediately revived speculation about a political reconciliation between the two former allies. “It is not my duty to speak, so I am holding back my tongue. You will come to know yourself,” Harsimrat said at the gathering before referring to agreements that could bring development and progress from Delhi to Punjab.
She said she hoped that such arrangements would once again lay the foundation for development in the state and benefit Punjab and its people. The carefully worded remarks are significant because the SAD and BJP had been longstanding allies in Punjab before their relationship broke down over the three farm laws introduced by the Narendra Modi government. The Shiromani Akali Dal left the National Democratic Alliance in September 2020 following differences over the farm legislation. The laws were subsequently repealed, but the political relationship between the two parties remained fractured. The latest signals have come after SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month. That meeting had already triggered speculation that the two parties could be exploring a possible rapprochement. Harsimrat’s remarks in Sangrur have now added political weight to those expectations.
There has been no formal announcement from either party about a renewed alliance. In fact, the BJP has so far maintained that it is preparing to fight the Punjab elections independently. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini had said earlier this month that the BJP’s alliance was with the people of Punjab. Several Punjab BJP leaders have also publicly indicated that the party is preparing to contest all 117 Assembly seats. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said at a rally in Moga in March that the BJP would form its own government in Punjab. Against this backdrop, Harsimrat Badal’s remarks acquire significance. The political calculations for both parties have changed considerably since their last alliance. In the 2022 Assembly elections, the BJP won two seats while the SAD won only three. The two parties had traditionally contested elections together under a seat-sharing arrangement in which the SAD fought the majority of Assembly seats. Under their previous arrangement, the SAD contested 94 of Punjab’s 117 Assembly constituencies, while the BJP contested 23. In parliamentary elections, the SAD generally contested 10 seats and the BJP three.
A renewed alliance would therefore involve much more than simply rebuilding an old political relationship. It would require both parties to negotiate seat sharing, campaign strategy and the political issues on which they would jointly approach voters. For the SAD, the BJP remains an important political force at the national level, with influence in Delhi and organisational strength in several parts of Punjab. For the BJP, an alliance with the SAD could provide access to the Akali Dal’s traditional rural and Sikh voter base. But the relationship also carries political risks. The farm laws remain an important part of the political memory of Punjab, and the SAD’s decision to leave the NDA in 2020 was directly linked to the issue. Any renewed alliance would therefore require both parties to explain to voters why the circumstances have changed. Harsimrat’s Sangrur speech also came against the backdrop of efforts by different Akali factions to establish themselves as the principal political voice of Punjab’s Sikh community.
At the same conference, she criticised what she described as divisive forces and said that restoring peace and communal harmony, eliminating gangster rule and tackling drugs would be among the SAD’s priorities if it returned to power. The timing of her remarks is also notable because separate Akali factions held their own programmes to mark Longowal’s death anniversary. At one such separate event, SAD Punar Surjit leader Parminder Singh Dhindsa said that if the BJP were prepared to address Punjab and Sikh issues, his faction would welcome a tie-up. For the SAD led by Sukhbir Badal, however, the immediate priority is rebuilding the party and consolidating its position before the Assembly election. Harsimrat’s remarks suggest that discussions about a possible arrangement with the BJP may now be moving beyond speculation. Yet until both parties make a formal announcement, it would be premature to describe the alliance as final. What is clear is that the political equation between the SAD and BJP, which appeared firmly broken after 2020, is once again being discussed openly. The next few months are likely to reveal whether Harsimrat’s reference to “agreements” was simply political signalling or the first public indication of a serious effort to bring the two former allies back together before Punjab votes in 2027.