Harsimrat Badal fuels SAD-BJP reunion buzz with cryptic call for ‘agreements’

Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal has fuelled fresh speculation about a possible reunion between the SAD and BJP ahead of next year’s Punjab Assembly elections, expressing hope for “agreements” that could once again bring development and progress to the state from Delhi. Speaking at a party conference held to mark the 41st martyrdom anniversary of Sant Harchand Singh Longowal on Thursday, Harsimrat stopped short of directly referring to an alliance with the BJP but made remarks that immediately revived discussion about the former partners coming together.

“May Guru Sahib bless. It is not my duty to speak, so I am holding back my tongue. You will come to know yourself,” she said. She then expressed hope for arrangements through which development-related work could once again be brought to Punjab from the Centre, saying such an understanding should benefit the state and its people.

Sukhbir-Modi meeting had sparked speculation

The remarks assume significance because SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his Parliament House office earlier this month.

That meeting had triggered speculation in Punjab political circles about whether the two parties were exploring the possibility of reviving one of the country’s longest-running political alliances.

Neither side announced an electoral understanding following the meeting. However, Harsimrat’s latest comments have added to the speculation, particularly with Punjab scheduled to hold Assembly elections in 2027.

The SAD and BJP had been allies for decades before their relationship collapsed during the agitation against the Centre’s three farm laws.

Farm laws ended decades-old partnership

The Akali Dal walked out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in September 2020 in protest against the three agricultural laws. Harsimrat, who was then Union Food Processing Industries Minister in the Narendra Modi government, resigned from the Cabinet.

The Centre eventually repealed the three laws in 2021 following a prolonged farmers’ agitation, but the political partnership between the BJP and SAD was not restored.

Under their earlier seat-sharing arrangement in Punjab Assembly elections, the SAD contested 94 of the state’s 117 constituencies while the BJP fought 23. In Lok Sabha elections, the Akalis traditionally contested 10 of Punjab’s 13 seats and the BJP three.

The partnership allowed the BJP to maintain a significant presence in Punjab while the SAD benefited from its national alliance with the party governing at the Centre.

BJP has publicly talked of going alone

Despite the renewed speculation, the BJP’s public position has remained that it is preparing to contest independently in Punjab.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on August 10 dismissed the possibility of an alliance and said the BJP’s alliance was with the people of Punjab.

Several Punjab BJP leaders have also maintained in recent months that the party is preparing candidates and its organisation for all 117 Assembly constituencies.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah had gone further during a rally in Moga in March, declaring that the BJP would form a government in Punjab on its own.

Sukhbir Badal, too, had played down the possibility of an alliance earlier. Asked in June about a potential tie-up with the BJP, the SAD president said his priority was strengthening his own party and that there was nothing regarding an alliance at that stage.

Both parties face battle to rebuild

Any rapprochement would come against the backdrop of the severe electoral reverses suffered by both parties after they separated.

In the 2022 Punjab Assembly election, which saw the Aam Aadmi Party sweep to power, the SAD managed to win only three seats. The BJP secured two seats in the 117-member House.

For the Akali Dal, the result marked a dramatic decline from its years as one of Punjab’s two dominant political forces. The BJP, meanwhile, has been attempting to expand beyond the constituencies and voter groups where it traditionally operated while allied with the SAD.

The political calculations ahead of 2027 are therefore considerably different from those that shaped their old partnership.

Harsimrat’s carefully worded remarks do not confirm that negotiations are underway, but coming shortly after Sukhbir’s meeting with Modi, they have ensured that the possibility of an SAD-BJP reunion will remain a major talking point as Punjab’s political parties begin positioning themselves for the Assembly battle.