Sukhbir Badal Meets PM Modi; Alliance Speculation Returns Ahead Of Punjab Polls

With the Punjab Assembly elections approaching, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and discussed the law and order situation in the state.

The meeting has reignited speculation over a possible pre-poll alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal, former coalition partners for nearly two decades.

According to an Akali leader, the discussion focused on Punjab, with Badal raising concerns over the prevailing law and order situation.

The leader said the Prime Minister heard all the concerns raised by the party.

During his visit to Punjab on July 17, PM Modi had criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government while also targeting the Congress and the SAD at a rally in Jalandhar.

Badal later maintained that the Prime Minister’s remarks were directed at another Akali faction and not his party.

Responding to reports of the meeting, Punjab BJP President Kewal Singh Dhillon said any senior leader could meet the Prime Minister and expressed hope that Badal had spoken for Punjab’s welfare. He also reiterated that the BJP would contest all 117 Assembly seats independently and hinted at a major political joining.

The meeting comes at a time when the Akali Dal is battling one of the most challenging phases in its history, marked by an exodus of leaders and organisational and ideological setbacks.

After facing defeat for the second consecutive Assembly election in 2022, the party’s strength in the 117-member Punjab Assembly fell to just three MLAs from 15 in the previous House, its lowest-ever tally.

The SAD, one of the BJP’s oldest allies, exited the National Democratic Alliance in September 2020 over differences regarding the now-repealed farm laws.

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