📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Apna dal
Politics
BJP mulls last‑minute Akali Dal tie‑up as Punjab election solo run stalls
✍️ The Times of India
🗓 04 Sep 2026, 10:18 AM
👁 22
The Bharatiya Janata Party, initially set to contest the Punjab assembly polls on its own, is now weighing a late‑stage alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal as strategic calculations shift.
The BJP had announced that it would go it alone in the upcoming Punjab legislative assembly elections, aiming to project a distinct national‑level agenda in the state. Party officials earlier highlighted confidence in fielding a full slate of candidates without formal partners.
Recent internal deliberations, however, suggest a shift in strategy. Senior leaders are reportedly open to a last‑minute understanding with the Shiromani Akali Dal, the long‑time regional ally that was sidelined in the previous election cycle. Sources close to the decision‑making circle say the move is being considered to consolidate anti‑incumbency sentiment and avoid vote splitting among like‑minded constituencies.
If a pact materialises, it could reshape the electoral arithmetic in Punjab, potentially pooling the BJP’s urban vote base with the Akali Dal’s rural strongholds. Analysts note that such an alliance may also influence the post‑poll coalition landscape at the centre, given Punjab’s ten Lok Sabha seats and its role in national politics.
Recent internal deliberations, however, suggest a shift in strategy. Senior leaders are reportedly open to a last‑minute understanding with the Shiromani Akali Dal, the long‑time regional ally that was sidelined in the previous election cycle. Sources close to the decision‑making circle say the move is being considered to consolidate anti‑incumbency sentiment and avoid vote splitting among like‑minded constituencies.
If a pact materialises, it could reshape the electoral arithmetic in Punjab, potentially pooling the BJP’s urban vote base with the Akali Dal’s rural strongholds. Analysts note that such an alliance may also influence the post‑poll coalition landscape at the centre, given Punjab’s ten Lok Sabha seats and its role in national politics.