Nation / Thu, 29 Oct 2026 The Tribune

4 BJP leaders backed Akali Dal pact even when Amit Shah was against it

While talks of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and BJP alliance are gaining ground, four BJP leaders consistently spoke in favour of a pact, even when the central brass was not quite supportive of it. The first time the BJP high command officially sought a response from BJP leaders on the issue of alliance was at the first strategy meeting of Punjab BJP senior leaders chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on June 13 this year. AdvertisementShah was until then the strongest votary of BJP going alone and of no pact with SAD. Those were of former BJP president Sunil Jakhar, former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Badal and BJP Punjab Mahila Morcha president Jai Inder Kaur. Outside of the top strategy meetings, former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh has been batting for a BJP-SAD alliance.

While talks of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and BJP alliance are gaining ground, four BJP leaders consistently spoke in favour of a pact, even when the central brass was not quite supportive of it.

The first time the BJP high command officially sought a response from BJP leaders on the issue of alliance was at the first strategy meeting of Punjab BJP senior leaders chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on June 13 this year.

Shah was until then the strongest votary of BJP going alone and of no pact with SAD.

At that meeting, the deliberations of which The Tribune has reliably learnt about, Amit Shah asked who favoured an alliance with the Akalis.

Three hands went up. Those were of former BJP president Sunil Jakhar, former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Badal and BJP Punjab Mahila Morcha president Jai Inder Kaur.

These three leaders, sources in BJP told The Tribune, have consistently spoken in favour of an alliance with the Akalis, citing such a pact as a force multiplier in the current fragmented polity of Punjab where a multi-cornered contest is shaping up.

Outside of the top strategy meetings, former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh has been batting for a BJP-SAD alliance.

On the reasoning consistently given by votaries of the Akali-BJP bonhomie to cement their case, a source said, “These leaders have argued that the alliance was crafted by the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Parkash Singh Badal as a symbol of solidarity between Hindus and Sikhs of Punjab and is the need of the hour, not so much in terms of the political impact it may have as the social impact on the fabric and harmony of the border state.”