BJP says no to Akali Dal, to contest all 13 seats in Punjab

BJP Punjab state president Sunil Jakhar on Tuesday said the party would contest the Lok Sabha election alone and would not form an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Last week, sources said the SAD and the BJP may form a pre-poll pact if both parties reach a consensus on seat-sharing in the state.

“This decision was taken based on the opinion of the people and party workers in the state. The decision was taken keeping in mind the welfare of farmers and businessmen,” Jakhar said in a post on X. Polling for 13 seats in Punjab will be held on June 1.

With the BJP facing protests from farmers, who have been demanding legal MSP for their agricultural produce, Jakhar said every grain was purchased at MSP and the money had reached the accounts of the farmers within weeks.

“The Kartarpur corridor, for which people have been requesting for decades, was also made possible under PM Modi because of the blessings of Waheguru,” the Punjab BJP chief further said.

The Kartarpur Corridor facilitates visa-free ‘darshan’ of the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara, which is just across the border in Pakistan. In ‘Ardas’, the Sikh prayer, a prayer is made for “khulle (open) darshan” of the gurdwaras from which the followers of Sikhism have been separated from.

The SAD was one of the oldest allies of the BJP. However, the SAD severed ties with the NDA in September 2020 over the now repealed farm laws that saw widespread protests in northern India.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, SAD and the BJP contested together, but were unable to achieve desired results. The Congress bagged eight seats, bucking the pro-BJP wave seen across northern and central India. The remaining five were won by the BJP (2), SAD (2) and the Aam Aadmi Party.