BJP and SAD Reportedly Meet Amid Speculation of Alliance in Punjab

Amid the buzz over a possible realignment between estranged allies Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP, a meeting reportedly took place between senior BJP leader CR Patil, known for his micro-management skills, and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal in New Delhi earlier this week. Neither party has confirmed the meeting. However, leaders of the breakaway Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) faction are now being wooed to join a potential broader alliance between the SAD and BJP in Punjab. Patil on Saturday met the BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, Vikramjit Singh Sahney. Sources said senior leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) faction, including Bibi Jagir Kaur, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Prem Singh Chandumajra and Gobind Singh Longowal, among others, are being engaged on the possibility of contesting the 2027 Assembly elections as part of a larger SAD-BJP alliance in the state. There is, however, no clarity yet on how or under what arrangement they would contest. One possibility is that they could contest on the SAD’s traditional ‘weighing scale’ symbol, given that they quit the Sukhbir Badal-led SAD on August 11 last year.