PM Modi Meets Sukhbir Badal: BJP-SAD Alliance Speculation Grows

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal held a one-on-one meeting on Friday at the Prime Minister's Office in Parliament House. This meeting comes as political momentum builds for the Punjab assembly polls slated for early next year, with the model code of conduct expected to take effect later this year. Following the interaction, Badal told reporters he met the prime minister to "discuss issues pertaining to Punjab" and declined to comment on speculation regarding a political reunion.

Up until late Friday evening, neither the PMO nor the SAD published any official statement on the meeting. However, a senior SAD leader told Hindustan Times that the discussions included the possibility of reviving their alliance.

BJP Maintains Solo Stance

BJP leaders dismissed rumours of a renewed partnership and asserted their plan to contest independently. Kewal Singh Dhillon, the newly appointed Punjab BJP president, downplayed the interaction. "...Any senior leader can meet the PM. Sukhbir Singh Badal was the deputy CM. I am happy that he must have spoken for the good of Punjab. We will contest all 117 seats in Punjab alone. A major joining is going to happen," Dhillon said. RP Singh, BJP national spokesperson, reiterated this position. "It does not mean that we are going to have any alliance or compromise. We are preparing to contest elections on all 117 seats, and we are fully prepared to fight and win on all 117 seats. Sukhbir Singh Badal must have had certain issues related to Punjab that he wanted to discuss, which is why he met the Prime Minister," Singh said.

A Fractured History

For more than two decades, the SAD and BJP operated as coalition partners, successfully establishing state governments in 1997, 2007 and 2012. Their 23-year partnership concluded in September 2020 when SAD exited the National Democratic Alliance over the now-repealed farm laws. The dispute also led Badal's wife, Lok Sabha MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, to step down from her Union cabinet position. Prior to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the former allies considered joining forces again, but negotiations broke down due to seat-allocation disputes. The SAD proposed giving the BJP four of Punjab's 13 parliamentary constituencies, whereas the BJP insisted on five. Ultimately fighting the elections independently, the Akali Dal captured a single constituency. Meanwhile, the BJP contested all 13 seats but did not secure any victories. In the 2022 state elections—their first contest after splitting—the SAD claimed three constituencies while the BJP took two.

Opposition Reacts to Meeting

Political opponents quickly seized on the meeting. Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal mocked the potential reunion, posting on X: "Na na karte pyaar tumhi se kar baithe. So, is an alliance forming between the Chandachor Party and the Beadabi Party?" In a separate Friday engagement, the prime minister met with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for an hour, a discussion that took place amidst rumors of an impending state cabinet expansion. The leaders discussed the ongoing parliamentary session, the role of Shivsena MPs, development works underway and floods, Shinde said in a statement.