CHANDIGARH: With less than four months left for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, uncertainty over a possible alliance between the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has resurfaced following the Union government's opposition to commuting the death sentence of Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted in the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.
The SAD has been demanding the commutation of Rajoana's death sentence, while the BJP has maintained that it is preparing to contest the elections on its own. Neither party has officially announced a decision on reviving their alliance.
Sources said the Punjab BJP core committee meeting, held on Saturday under the chairmanship of state affairs in-charge and national general secretary Satish Poonia, discussed key political and organisational issues. Several members sought clarity on whether the party was considering an alliance with the SAD, saying a decision was needed at this stage.
According to party insiders, Poonia is learnt to have told the members that the decision on an alliance rested with the party high command.
Speculation about a possible rapprochement gained momentum after SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 7.
The SAD is seeking to rebuild its political base after a major setback in the 2022 Assembly elections, when it won three of Punjab's 117 seats. The BJP won two seats. While the BJP has maintained that it is preparing to contest the next elections independently, some leaders within the party remain open to renewed engagement with the SAD.
The two parties remained allies for more than two decades, with their partnership dating back to the 1990s. They formed governments in Punjab in 1997, 2007 and 2012. Their alliance ended in September 2020 when the SAD withdrew from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in protest against the Centre's now-repealed three farm laws.
Rajoana, who has been on death row for his role in the 1995 assassination of Beant Singh, has challenged the prolonged delay in deciding his mercy petition, pending since 2012. The latest point of friction emerged after the BJP-led Union government told the Supreme Court that it opposed his plea seeking commutation of the death sentence to life imprisonment.
Senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema described the matter as a human rights issue and reiterated the party's demand for commutation. He said the party would discuss the matter with senior leaders, including Sukhbir Badal, before deciding on its next course of action. The SAD has maintained that Rajoana's mercy petition should be accepted and claimed that it had submitted a petition bearing 25 lakh signatures seeking commutation of his sentence.
The arrangements for Union Home Minister Amit Shah's rally in Jalandhar on September 30 also came under scrutiny at the BJP meeting, with several senior leaders raising questions about arrangements and the mobilisation of party workers. Some members felt the party could have drawn a larger crowd if specific mobilisation targets had been assigned to core committee members.
The appointment of constituency-level in-charges was another issue discussed, with members pressing for the process to be completed at the earliest.
The meeting also discussed district presidents aspiring to contest the Assembly elections. Leaders pointed out that allowing them to continue in organisational positions while preparing for electoral contests could create a conflict of interest and disadvantage other aspirants.
