After days of parleys with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the BJP on Tuesday announced that it will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on its own in Punjab, with the announcement coming amid ‘hints’ from its ex-ally SAD that the latter could go solo in the border State.
With this development, the border State will see a four-cornered contest in the general elections. Punjab is the latest State after the BJP and Naveen Patnaik-led BJD alliance did not work out despite days of deliberations and both announced to go solo in Odisha.
The BJD last month had supported the Rajya Sabha candidature of Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Both the SAD and the BJD were the natural ally of the BJP since year until SAD broke ranks from the NDA after the controversial farm laws which however now stands repealed.
The SAD’s latest decision is a major shift from late Parkash Singh Badal’s 24-year policy of “unconditional support” to the BJP from 1996 to 2020. The two parties had formed an alliance in 1996 and had been fighting elections together. In 2019, they won two Lok Sabha seats each in Punjab. This will be the first Lok Sabha poll since 1998 which the BJP and SAD will contest alone. In the first Assembly poll they fought separately and both suffered jolts with the BJP winning two and Akalis 3 seats out of 117 and AAP sweeping with 92.
Meanwhile, the BJP received a shot in the arm in Punjab on Tuesday as three-term Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu from the State joined the party. Bittu is the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, a hero of anti-terrorism campaign in the State who was assassinated in a terror attack while still in office. He currently represents Ludhiana in the outgoing Lok Sabha.
“... The party has decided that we will contest all 13 seats on our own. We want to remain in direct contact with the people of Punjab... We are sure, Modi will win in Punjab also...”, said Delhi BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa, former MLA from Delhi Assembly and prominent Sikh leader said on Tuesday.
Earlier, Punjab BJP unit president Sunil Jakhar issued a video statement on X (formerly Twitter) to announce that the party will fight alone in the State. “The BJP is going to contest the Lok Sabha elections alone,” Jakhar said in a video message posted on X. This decision was taken based on the feedback of people, party workers and leaders. The decision has been taken for the future of Punjab and the betterment of the youth, farmers, traders, labourers and the downtrodden, he said.
Jakhar exuded confidence that the people of Punjab will further strengthen the BJP by voting for it in large numbers on June 1.
After the BJP announced its decision, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said “for us, principles are more important than the number game,” and reiterated his party’s commitment to Punjab and the community.
The alliance talks are learnt to have failed on a range of issues mainly the Akali Dal insistence on a larger share of Lok Sabha seats. The BJP was seeking five of the 13 segments and preferably six. The Akali were comfortable giving four, said sources, adding that even the electoral situation signalled that it was better for the BJP to go alone.
Besides, the BJP believes Ram Mandir consecration and the PM’s pro-development pitch may generate greater support for it this time. The Akalis meanwhile were also learnt to be wary of the alliance in the wake of farmers’ agitation.
In September 2020, however, Akali Dal left the NDA after the Central Government brought in the contentious farm laws, which led to farmer protests in north India. While most cultivators were from Punjab, those from neighbouring States such as Haryana and Uttar Pradesh joined in as well.
