Punjab: Amid 'Panthic Unity' Quest, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Leans Away From BJP, Explores Grand Alliance With Left

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), under the leadership of Sukhbir Singh Badal, is navigating the political landscape with a new approach to alliances.

As the party aims to regain Panthic support and foster unity among Akali Dal factions, leaders in Punjab indicate a reluctance to renew ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Following the 2022 assembly polls' setback, Sukhbir Singh Badal is steering the SAD towards a renewed focus on Panthic votes.

During the Akali Dal's 103rd anniversary last month, Badal issued an apology for administrative failures in the 2015 sacrilege cases and called for breakaway reunification for Panthic unity.

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Senior Akali Dal leader Balwinder Singh Bhunder emphasised that the current circumstances do not favor an alliance with the BJP.

He pointed to potential ideological disagreements, particularly with the current BJP leadership.

Bhunder suggested that, apart from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the SAD is exploring options for collaboration with left parties such as the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India, as reported by Economic Times.

Naresh Gujral, another prominent SAD leader firmly ruled out the possibility of an alliance with the BJP, stating, "There is no scope."

The SAD, once the founder of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the oldest ally of the BJP, severed ties with the ruling alliance in 2020 amid protests against the three contentious farm laws.

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