The Shiromani Akai Dal (SAD) now finds itself between ‘a rock and a hard place’ with the BJP, which is part of the ruling combine in Punjab, increasingly viewing fellow SAD ally INLD as a political untouchable. The family of SAD patron and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has long-standing ties with the Chautala family as Badal and former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal were very close friends, though they were in different parties. And the close family ties have been passed on to the next generation and owing to the peculiarity of the circumstances the SAD now headed by Sukhbir Singh Badal has no option but to stand by the INLD. In the LS polls, both the INLD and BJP are opposed to each other. However in 2009, the two parties had struck up an alliance. Although Badal tried his best to cobble up a similar alliance in Haryana this time, it failed to yield results as the BJP opted for the Haryana Janhit Congress.