Punjab Polls 2027: BJP-SAD Reunion Nears, Seat-Sharing Talks Continue

Negotiations for an alliance between the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections early next year are in their final stages, with an announcement expected soon. 

According to sources, the announcement is likely after Diwali, depending also on the response to the Opposition rally in Delhi. Speculation about the two parties joining hands gathered pace following Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s prediction that an NDA government would come to power in Punjab in 2027 though the rumours began once SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament during the monsoon session. Badal, too, has expressed openness to an alliance with like-minded parties. However, neither party has formally announced a deal. 

The main sticking point is seat-sharing, though the alliance is expected to be announced before the seat-sharing arrangement is finalised. The BJP is seeking between 40 and 47 of the state’s 117 Assembly seats, though a compromise around 36–37 seats is considered likely. In previous alliances, the BJP contested 23 seats, but it now wants a larger share as it seeks to expand its presence in Punjab. While the SAD initially favoured retaining the old formula, the BJP has based its demands on the parties’ performance in recent Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. 

The BJP is particularly keen on securing seats where it outpolled the SAD in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP has also advised the SAD to bring its splinter groups and former leaders back into the fold to strengthen the proposed alliance. 

The BJP has stepped up its organisational preparations across all 117 Assembly constituencies. According to sources, Union Minister C.R. Patil has been actively engaged in these efforts and has participated in several of these meetings with another Union minister, while the party general secretary Satish Poonia is overseeing the organisational exercise. 

The BJP and the SAD were long-time allies until September 2020, when the Akali Dal walked out of the NDA amid protests against the three farm laws. The parties have contested elections separately since then. With the 2027 Assembly election approaching, the renewed effort to bring them together marks a possible reversal of that rupture. 

The two parties’ combined performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election is central to the discussions. The BJP polled 18.56 per cent of the vote and the SAD 13.41 per cent, taking their combined share to 31.97 per cent. The Congress secured 26.31 per cent and the AAP 26.03 per cent. In numbers, the BJP and SAD together received around 43.25 lakh votes, which is more than 35.60 lakh votes in favour of the Congress and 35.22 lakh votes in favour of the AAP. 

A BJP-SAD alliance would reshape the electoral contest in Punjab, setting the stage for a three-cornered fight involving the proposed alliance, the Congress and the AAP.