Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal said neither he nor the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is aware of the alliance in Punjab. “This (speculation) is on social media, media…,” he said, asserting that the SAD has an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the state.
“At the moment, we are contesting on all 13 seats (in Punjab). We have an alliance with the BSP…I am not ruling out…,” Badal said at a press conference on Thursday.
He said all the like-minded parties that want to save Punjab are “most welcome except the Congress or ‘broom’ (Aam Aadmi Party, AAP)…”
Sukhbir Singh Badal’s statement came amid speculations that his party may join hands with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
SAD was part of the NDA earlier. The party had snapped ties with the BJP in September 2020 over the contentious farm laws introduced by the government.
Earlier this year, Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah asserted that talks were on with the SAD. The home minister was quoted by PTI as saying, “Talks are going on but nothing has been finalised.” A day later, several reports claimed that the talks for an alliance between the BJP and the SAD to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Punjab “failed”.
Even in 2023, the SAD had dismissed speculations of reuniting with the BJP and said the party is having a routine meeting and there is no question of reunion with the BJP.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, the Congress had won eight of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, while the AAP managed to win just one and the SAD-BJP alliance four. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the AAP won four seats, the Congress two, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) four and the BJP two.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Published: 14 Mar 2024, 06:28 PM IST
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