After Haryana and Delhi, will BJP sever ties with SAD in Punjab?

Earlier Haryana and now in Delhi, the 99-year grand old party Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) failed to fructify an alliance for the assembly polls with its long-standing ally, the BJP, stirring the possibility for the two parties to sever electoral ties even in Punjab.

The SAD-BJP falling out of favour ahead of the crucial February 8 Delhi assembly elections has whipped up the chorus within the saffron party to go solo sans the Akali Dal in the next elections in Punjab. Post the split with SAD in Delhi over the controversial CAA, several senior BJP leaders, including ex-ministers, in Punjab are backing the idea of BJP flexing its muscles in the elections on its own.

All that may alter the political landscape in border state Punjab where the Akali Dal-led by the Badal family is battling a crisis, both within and in public perception. BJP, which has limited footprint in Punjab, has arguably long played second fiddle to its senior partner Akali Dal. BJP leaders now feel the time is ripe to look beyond the crutches of its ally to wrest power in Punjab.

The state has a new party chief, RSS ideologue Ashwani Sharma. Post his elevation, many former Punjab ministers, including Master Mohan Lal, Manoranjan Kalia, are mincing no words while routing for BJP to contest elections without SAD.

Besides the CAA, seat sharing was another bone of contention between the two allies for the Delhi polls, sources said, adding that the BJP may not be at a loss having spilt with SAD given the perception within the Delhi saffron party unit that the Akali’s may not anymore hold any decisive sway over Delhi Sikh voters. SAD going to town citing BJP’s ‘pressure tactics’ to ensure the Akali Dal changes its stand on CAA has further strained ties within the alliance.

The SAD-BJP enter a pre-poll alliance before polls with the Akali Dal leaving 23 seats out of 117 for the BJP to contest. The Badal family daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal is a union minister in Modi’s cabinet, which also makes the posturing by the Akali Dal in Punjab friendly with the BJP, at least so far. Inferences drawn from empirical data of electoral history in Punjab suggest a compelling need for the two parties to coexist to leverage their strengths.