{
  "id": 3026516,
  "title": "BJP to go solo in Punjab polls, says Santhosh amid buzz of SAD alliance",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/bjp-to-go-solo-in-punjab-polls-says-santhosh-amid-buzz-of-sad-alliance",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-24T13:06:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/punjab-elections-2027-bjp-contest-all-117-seats-solo-bl-santhosh-rules-out-sad-alliance-10847576/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Amidst escalating discussions about a potential BJP-led government in Punjab, BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh announced on Monday that the party intends to contest all 117 Assembly seats in the upcoming elections and form its own administration. Speaking at a state BJP zonal meeting in Patiala, Santhosh asserted, \"Punjab is fully ready for change, and the BJP is fully prepared to bring about this change.\"\n\nThe remarks by Santhosh gain significance given the recent speculations surrounding a possible reunion between the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for the 2027 Assembly polls. On August 20, SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur, wife of the party's chief Sukhbir Badal, suggested the possibility of an alliance during a gathering of party activists in Longowal. Her brother and SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia endorsed her comments the following day, stating that Harsimrat's remarks reflected the aspirations of the people. However, any decision on the alliance would be made by the respective party leaderships.\n\nThe SAD and the BJP have a long-standing partnership, but they parted ways in September 2020 during the farmers' protest against the agricultural laws that were subsequently repealed. Both parties contested the 2022 Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls separately, facing significant setbacks in both instances. Speculation about a renewed alliance was fueled by Sukhbir Badal's visit to Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 7 during the monsoon session of Parliament. However, state BJP officials, including Kewal Singh Dhillon, reiterated that the party would contest the elections independently, emphasizing the focus on strengthening their organizational framework.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}