SAD swaps two seats with alliance partner BSP in Punjab

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday decided to swap two seats with the BSP, its alliance partner for the Punjab Assembly polls next year.

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said his party has given two assembly seats, Sham Chaurasi and Kapurthala, to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and taken back Amritsar North and Sujanpur assembly seats from it.

The Shiromani Akali Dal had last month declared its two candidates from Amritsar North and Sujanpur constituencies. At that time, Badal had said the decision was taken with the consent of the BSP.

Both Amritsar North and Sujanpur were among 20 seats given to the BSP as part of the seat-sharing arrangement between both the alliance partners.

“SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal announced that it has taken Amritsar North & Sujanpur seats back from BSP. In place BSP has been given Sham Chaurasi & Kapurthala assembly seats,” senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said on Wednesday.

According to the alliance between both the parties for the 2022 assembly polls, the Mayawati-led BSP will fight 20 of the 117 assembly seats in Punjab, while the rest will be contested by the SAD.