Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar. File.
| Photo Credit: R. V. Moorthy
Amid speculation about the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the old allies, again joining hands ahead of the 2024 general election, the BJP has dismissed the possibility on any alliance between the two parties.
BJP state president Sunil Jakhar on Tuesday announced that the BJP would contest the upcoming parliamentary elections alone in Punjab. “The party has taken the decision [to fight in all the 13 seats] after considering the suggestion of people, workers and leaders of Punjab. The decision has been taken keeping in interests of all sections of society, and Punjab” he said on X.
Also read | Lok Sabha election updates March 26
The election for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will be held on June 1.
Mr. Jakhar said he was hopeful that the people of Punjab on June 1 would make the BJP even stronger, and enhance Punjab’s contribution towards nation building. “Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, a lot of work has been done, which is not hidden from anyone. Every single grain of farmers’ crop has been purchased at Minimum Support Price. Also, the initiative taken to start the Kartarpur corridor, (which connects the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district) was taken by the BJP among other pro-Punjab decisions,” he said.
After the BJP’s announcement, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said that his party is not a numbers-driven organisation but a movement committed to a clear vision of Punjab and the ‘Khalsa Panth’ (Sikhs). “Our core committee had already stated firmly that for SAD, principles are always above politics,” he said.
The SAD and the BJP have been alliance partners since 1996, however, amid the controversy over the Centre’s now repealed agriculture sector laws, the SAD – one of the BJP’s oldest allies, decided to break away from National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition in 2020. The SAD later entered into an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
Meanwhile, the Congress party suffered a setback as its senior leader and Lok Sabha MP from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh Bittu joined the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP). He is the grandson of late Chief Minister Beant Singh.
He joined the BJP in New Delhi, in the presence of party national general secretary Vonid Tawde. Sources said Mr. Bittu, a three-time MP could be BJP’s candidate for the Lok Sabha from Ludhiana constituency, which he is currently representing.
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