Sukhbir Badal meets PM Modi, fuels alliance buzz ahead of Punjab polls next year

In a development that may alter the political landscape in Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament on Friday. This meeting has ignited speculation about the possibility of a renewed political alliance between the BJP and the SAD, following a long-standing estrangement that has plagued the two parties for years.

Both the BJP and the SAD, once dominant forces in Punjab politics, have struggled to regain their footing in recent times. The two parties, which had been allies for over two decades, severed ties in September 2020 in protest of the Centre's three farm laws, which sparked widespread protests in Punjab and across the country. Despite the repeal of the controversial farm laws in 2021, relations between the two parties remained chilly.

The 2022 Punjab assembly elections saw both the BJP and the SAD suffer significant setbacks, with the Akali Dal managing only three seats out of 117 and the BJP securing just two. AAP's Kejriwal emerged victorious, capturing power for the first time in the state's history. The Modi-Badal meeting, while not officially confirming any alliance, is expected to fuel conversations about the potential rebuilding of the relationship between the two parties ahead of the upcoming Punjab assembly elections.