Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have stated on various occasions that they will contest the next Punjab elections alone. Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Badal met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Friday. This meeting has once again fueled speculation about a reunion between the two parties. Arvind Kejriwal, head of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is ruling Punjab, questioned whether the “Chanda Chor Party” and the “Baadbi Party” are forming an alliance. He targeted both parties by referencing the song “Na Na Karte Pyar” from Akshay Kumar and Shilpa Shetty’s film “Dhadkan.”
No agenda has been made public for this sudden meeting. However, given the long-standing relationship between the two parties and the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, it is believed that the two parties may come together again. On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Rajya Sabha MPs from other parties, including AAP MPs. Most of these Rajya Sabha MPs come from Punjab, and it is believed that these MPs may play a key role in the next Punjab elections.
What did Kejriwal say?
Arvind Kejriwal posted a news report from Sukhbir Badal’s own channel, PTC News, on his X handle, writing, “I said no, but I fell in love with you. So, is the ‘Chandda Chor Party’ and ‘Baadbi Party’ forming an alliance?” He referred to a PTC News report that Sukhbir Singh Badal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were meeting in Parliament House and discussing several important issues.
When did the BJP-Akali alliance break?
The alliance between the Akali Dal and the BJP, considered ideologically close to each other, broke in August 2020. The Akali Dal distanced itself from the BJP amid the uproar over the three agricultural laws. Moreover, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who was a minister in the central government at the time, resigned from the cabinet and described the agricultural laws as a danger signal for laborers and commission agents.
The Akali Dal and BJP contested the 2022 assembly elections separately. The AAP storm swept the state, and five-time Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son, now Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, lost their own seats. The BJP’s vote share increased marginally, but the Akali Dal suffered significant losses, securing only 18.4 percent of the vote and winning only three MLAs.
The two parties remained separate in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well. Only Harsimrat Kaur Badal from the Akali Dal won the election, while the BJP, which contested alone, failed to win a single seat. Both parties had fielded candidates in all 13 seats in this election. Congress won 7 seats, AAP 3, Akali Dal 1 and two independent candidates won.