Seat-sharing major hurdle as Sunil Jakhar pitches for renewal of SAD-BJP ties

The renewal of the SAD-BJP alliance remains a major challenge despite a “strong demand” by leaders and workers of both parties as it depends on seat-sharing negotiations, said sources on Monday.

A day before, in an interview with The Tribune, Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar had said his party’s alliance with the SAD was the need of the hour.

He said this warning that forces inimical to the state’s interest were resurfacing as these had in 1996 when the pact was first formalised to ensure communal harmony.

The Akalis had walked out of the BJP-led NDA in 2020 following differences over the now-withdrawn three controversial farm laws.

According to the sources, the BJP wants larger share in seats. Before the alliance came to an end, the SAD contested 94 seats, leaving 23 for the BJP in the 117-member Punjab Assembly. The BJP is pushing for an equal split, which would more than double its seat-share. Talks for a possible reunion ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha poll had reached an advanced stage but failed over seat-adjustment issue.

The BJP, which previously contested three of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, had demanded six seats. However, the Akalis were willing to concede only five. Party insiders believe a renewed alliance could strengthen both sides but only if seat-sharing satisfies ground-level workers.

BJP leaders had also criticised the AAP government, accusing it of political vendetta when the Vigilance arrested senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia in a disproportionate assets case last month.

When asked to respond to Jakhar’s remarks, SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said the party was currently focused on organisational restructuring. “We are working to strengthen our party. In politics, alliances form and dissolve. Only time will tell,” he said. Jakhar had earlier too stressed the importance of the alliance with the SAD. He advocated it while speaking at the bhog of former SAD MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa.

In a follow-up post on X, he aimed more at his party than the alliance itself. “Punjab is not just a state. It’s a deeply emotional and self-respecting society. Punjabis are resilient, proud of their history and driven by sentiment. But over time, they feel they have been wronged, their sacrifices unrecognised, and their emotional and political contributions overlooked. They seek more than financial packages. They seek recognition, respect, and a sense of belonging,” he had said.