Before the 2027 assembly elections in Punjab, there are talks of an alliance between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), but the situation of 'no love, no denial' remains. Big leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are saying that the party will contest elections alone on all 117 seats, but internal talks are going on between the two parties. Akali Dal wants to form an alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party but the matter is getting stuck on many weak links.
Sukhbir Badal's wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal, his brother Bikram Singh Majithia and their supporters are raising their voices in favor of the alliance. The question is, will the old alliance again be as successful as it was before 2020? There is a section of BJP which says that in Punjab also Bharatiya Janata Party will have to work like West Bengal.
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Hit formula, why marginalised?
The result of the alliance of Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party has been the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Punjab. BJP was successful in connecting Hindu voters, Akali Dal was successful in connecting Sikh voters. Both did not interfere in each other's vote bank. Now the situation has changed. After 2020, many Akali leaders have joined BJP. Recently, many leaders of Majha region including former Bathinda Rural MLA Darshan Singh Kotfatta have joined BJP. Some former Congress leaders have also joined BJP.
State BJP President Kewal Dhillon and former Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu are old Congressmen. HS Phoolka, who worked in the 1984 riots cases, has also joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. These people used to criticize Akali Dal a lot earlier. Akali Dal is struggling to save its Sikh vote bank. Aam Aadmi Party, Congress and Amritpal Singh's party are also eyeing the same vote bank. BJP's situation is looking better. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP's vote percentage doubled to 18 percent, while Akali Dal's vote halved to 13 percent.
Why is there a rift in friendship?
Vote transfer can also become a big problem in the alliance. Bharatiya Janata Party and Akali Dal can get seats only according to their vote bank. Where there are Sikh votes, there are Akali, where there are more Hindu votes, there is BJP. Now BJP puts pressure on its allies for more seats, in such a situation the Akali will also be upset by this. More than 57 percent of the population in Punjab is Sikh.
Sikhs are also angry with the fact that Ram Rahim is being given parole again and again but Sikh prisoners are not being released. The stance of both the political parties is also different regarding the captive Sikhs. These issues have always been a matter of conflict.
Also read: Will BJP take Akali Dal along to form government in Punjab? Know why it is important
Why is the path of alliance difficult?
Many Akali leaders believe that the present alliance is more difficult than before. BJP is no longer the same as it was during the time of Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Lal Krishna Advani. The political influence of Akali Dal is also not the same. Political analysts say that the biggest obstacle in the possible alliance of Akali Dal and BJP is regarding seat distribution and leadership role.
BJP is no longer ready to accept the old younger brother formula. The 2024 Lok Sabha is demanding more seats on the basis of performance. Akali Dal is emphasizing on sectarian identity, wants to make Sukhbir Badal the CM candidate. BJP wants new leadership in Punjab. There has been a rift between BJP and Akali since the year 2020, from then till now, the resentment of farmers and the image of BJP among Sikh voters is also making the path of alliance difficult.