Chandigarh: The 2027 Assembly election appears to be bringing arch-rivals together in Punjab. Even as BJP insists it will contest all 117 Punjab seats on its own, Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) is exploring an alliance with the saffron party. Unusually, it is also considering a three-way arrangement with the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal.The breakaway Akali faction is also exploring an alliance with Akali Dal Waris Punjab De (WPD), the jailed MP Amritpal Singh-led faction. WPD, however, has categorically ruled out an alliance with BJP for the 2027 Punjab elections.SAD (Punar Surjit) general secretary Gurpartap Singh Wadala said both alliance possibilities were still at an early stage. “The Panthic community, by and large, feels that at least those factions which can come together should unite for Panthic unity. People are working for that, but nothing concrete has emerged as of now,” he said.The BJP-SAD (Punar Surjit)-Badal led SAD proposal could bring the three parties onto a common electoral platform of the BJP-led NDA without requiring either of the rival Akali factions to merge, senior leaders of the breakaway faction said.The proposal comes despite deep hostility between the two Akali factions. SAD (Punar Surjit), formed on the directions of Akal Takht and led by Giani Harpreet Singh, claims to be the “real Akali Dal” and has sought Sukhbir Badal’s removal as SAD president. The faction has also staked claim to SAD’s “scale” symbol, with its registration application pending before the Election Commission.Even though the faction has ruled out a rapprochement with Badal unless he steps down, a senior SAD (Punar Surjit) functionary said the possibility of the two rival Akali factions coming together cannot be ruled out if Akal Takht issues directions in the “larger interests of Punjab”.There is a possible way out of this dilemma. The party’s leadership believes the BJP could separately ally with both factions, without requiring either Akali faction to merge.“While Badal will not step down, there is a way out. BJP can tie up with SAD separately and us separately, as two different entities,” another senior SAD (Punar Surjit) functionary told TOI. However, he said such an arrangement involving the two Akali factions would have to be discussed with Akal Takht before it was pursued.The faction also claimed that discussions on the formula had taken place with BJP leaders at the Centre.“This idea has been discussed among our leadership and with the BJP leadership at Centre. It is doable and practical,” the functionary said.BJP, however, has repeatedly maintained that it will go solo in the 2027 Punjab election.The possibility of a BJP-SAD reunion resurfaced after Sukhbir Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament, followed by SAD’s support for the Delimitation Bill the next day. The two parties had ended their alliance in 2020 over the now-repealed farm laws.SAD secretary general Balwinder Singh Bhunder dismissed the “tripartite formula”, saying the breakaway faction had little political weight.“Delhi has used and thrown them. Everyone knows that SAD (Punar Surjit) stands nowhere today,” Bhunder said, asserting that SAD cadre remained firmly with the Badal-led party.Another senior SAD leader, however, said the party would not object if BJP separately allied with SAD (Punar Surjit). “If there is a separate alliance, it will be for BJP to have its own seat-sharing arrangement with them from its own quota,” the leader said, adding that “the larger objective should be to prevent the AAP from returning to power.”
