The Bharatiya Janata Party is exploring a possible pre-poll alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab. Talks have gathered pace since Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on August 7. The development comes as Punjab prepares for Assembly elections due in early 2027, and it matters because it could reshape the state’s political contest for the first time since the BJP and the original SAD parted ways in 2020.
Party insiders say the BJP wants a bigger share of seats this time. It is also weighing options with a splinter faction, SAD (Punar Surjit), even as its own central leadership insists in public that it will fight all 117 seats alone. The picture on the ground remains fluid, with multiple Akali factions in play and no formal announcement yet from either side.
Key Developments Timeline
- August 2025: SAD (Punar Surjit) splits from the main Shiromani Akali Dal.
- April 2026: Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) briefly explores an alliance with SAD (Punar Surjit).
- May 17, 2026: That proposed alliance collapses.
- June 2026: Rebel SAD MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali joins Waris Punjab De.
- August 7, 2026: Sukhbir Singh Badal meets PM Modi in New Delhi.
- Mid-August 2026: Harsimrat Kaur Badal hints at possible realignment with the BJP.
- Late August 2026: SAD (Punar Surjit) leaders meet Punjab BJP in-charge Satish Poonia.
- September 1, 2026: SAD (Punar Surjit) president Giani Harpreet Singh says the party is open to an understanding with the BJP, while ruling out any tie-up with the Sukhbir Badal led SAD.
Why is BJP considering an alliance with the Akali Dal?
The BJP and the Akali Dal ruled Punjab together for years before splitting in 2020 over the farm laws. Since then, both parties have fought elections on their own and struggled to win seats. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP secured about 18.5 percent vote share in Punjab, while the SAD got around 13.5 percent. Combined, that adds up to nearly 31 percent, according to figures cited by party sources. That number is driving fresh interest in a tie-up.
A BJP insider explained the math behind the seat sharing talks. “Out of 49 Assembly seats in which Shiromani Akali Dal was ahead of BJP in the 2024 General Election, ten candidates on ten seats have left SAD. These factors are important when deliberating on seat sharing arrangements,” the insider told The Tribune.
What happened between Sukhbir Badal and PM Modi?
The August 7 meeting between SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Prime Minister Modi is widely seen as the turning point. It broke a long standoff between the two leaders and triggered fresh backroom discussions about a reunion. Soon after, senior SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal publicly hinted that political alliances with Delhi could help continue development work in Punjab.
The buzz grew further after reports that SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal held a separate meeting with BJP strategist CR Patil, seen as a signal of the BJP’s intent to play what political observers describe as a bigger role in the state.
Is BJP in talks with SAD (Punar Surjit) too?
Yes. The breakaway faction, SAD (Punar Surjit), has also entered the picture. The faction split from the main SAD in August 2025 after accusing Sukhbir Badal of ignoring the Akal Takht’s directives on party reforms.
Giani Harpreet Singh, president of SAD (Punar Surjit) and a former Akal Takht Jathedar, confirmed that backchannel talks with the BJP are underway. He said any alliance would depend on clear commitments from the central leadership on core Panthic and regional issues. These include the status of Chandigarh, sharing of river waters, recognition of Punjabi speaking areas, and release of long pending Sikh prisoners.
The faction has firmly ruled out ever rejoining the Sukhbir Badal led SAD. One proposal under discussion is for both Akali factions to join the BJP led National Democratic Alliance separately, similar to how Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United and Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party both sit within the NDA in Bihar.
What does Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) say about BJP?
The Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), associated with jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, has categorically ruled out any alliance with the BJP. The party maintains it will not enter electoral adjustments with any national party, including the BJP, Congress, or AAP, for the 2027 polls.
In June 2026, rebel SAD MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali joined Waris Punjab De, reinforcing the group’s opposition to the BJP. Mainstream SAD leaders have accused Waris Punjab De of trying to split the Panthic and Sikh vote, adding another layer of contest in rural and semi urban seats.
What is BJP’s official position on contesting alone?
Publicly, the BJP maintains it will go it alone. BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh has asked the Punjab unit to prepare for a solo battle, according to party sources cited by The Tribune. Newly appointed Punjab BJP in-charge Satish Poonia has repeatedly asserted that the party intends to contest all 117 Assembly seats independently.
The Punjab BJP is planning four state level rallies from September 15 onward, in Moga, Talwandi Sabo, and Khatkar Kalan, to showcase organisational strength. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to address the concluding rally. Even so, sources familiar with the discussions say alliance equations continue to be explored privately, leaving the final call to the central leadership.
How is AAP reacting to the BJP- Akali talks?
Ruling AAP Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has criticised the emerging alignment. Addressing a Lok Milni gathering in Jalandhar’s Kahlwan village, Mann alleged that the SAD was “begging” the BJP for an alliance ahead of the elections, according to comments reported by The Tribune on August 27, 2026.
At another gathering in Kartarpur, Mann said the BJP and Akali Dal alliance had “no ideology or concern for public welfare” and accused both parties of chasing power. He also pointed to his government’s initiatives, including zero electricity bills for 90 percent of households and more than 70,000 government jobs given without recommendation, as evidence of a contrasting track record.
Why does the Akali Dal keep sending mixed coalition signals?
The Akali Dal’s coalition picture looks confusing because it is no longer one party speaking with one voice. Three separate Akali streams are testing three different paths at the same time, and each has its own reason.
The mainstream SAD under Sukhbir Singh Badal is circling back toward the BJP, its ally for over two decades before the 2020 split. That instinct is largely arithmetic. The party’s vote share has been falling on its own, and a combined BJP-SAD number from 2024 looks far stronger than either party’s solo tally. SAD (Punar Surjit), the faction that broke away from Sukhbir Badal in August 2025, is running a parallel but separate negotiation with the BJP. Its leaders have been careful to say they want NDA space of their own, not a return to the parent SAD, which suggests the split over Akal Takht reforms has hardened into a lasting divide rather than a temporary rift.
Then there is Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), representing a more hardline Panthic and anti-establishment line tied to Amritpal Singh. It briefly explored joining forces with SAD (Punar Surjit) in April 2026, a bid to unite Panthic votes under one banner, but that effort collapsed by mid-May 2026. Waris Punjab De has since ruled out the BJP altogether, arguing that any national party tie-up would compromise its Panthic positioning. This leaves it competing against the very Akali factions it briefly tried to team up with.
A push for an Akali alliance with the Congress has also surfaced in Punjab’s political conversation, largely through remarks by BJP leader and former Congress Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who has argued publicly that the BJP needs the SAD’s rural network to form a government. However, there is no officially confirmed move toward an SAD-Congress coalition itself, and BJP leaders such as former MP Vijay Sampla have publicly pushed back on any coalition talk, pointing to the party’s recent solo wins in local body and Lok Sabha contests. Taken together, the pattern points less to genuine confusion within the Akali Dal and more to multiple factions, each holding a shrinking share of the old Akali vote bank, testing which partnership offers the best odds of political survival before the 2027 filing deadlines.
What do the 2024 numbers show?
| Party | 2024 Lok Sabha Vote Share in Punjab |
| BJP | 18.5% |
| SAD | 13.5% |
| Combined (BJP + SAD) | Around 31% |
The numbers explain why both parties see value in teaming up, even though ten Akali candidates who led in 2024 have since left the party, which complicates seat sharing arrangements.
What happens next?
No formal alliance has been announced by the BJP or any Akali faction. The BJP’s central leadership is yet to take a final call, and Punjab BJP continues to publicly prepare for a solo contest. At the same time, the Punjab BJP’s rallies from September 15 are expected to be an indicator of the party’s ground strength, which could influence the alliance decision.
For now, Punjab heads toward the 2027 Assembly elections with several possible contests on the table. These include a solo BJP run, a revived BJP-SAD pact, or a wider NDA arrangement bringing in Akali factions separately. The Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) has already opted out, while AAP and Congress continue to watch the alliance talks closely.