After Naveen, Akalis spurn BJP offer for saffron ride in LS polls
Farmers from Punjab Image credit X @_kulwinderr81
BJP to go solo in Punjab for Lok Sabha elections
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, March 26: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) aim to piggyback ride the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) hit the roadblock. The BJP Punjab unit president Sunil Jakhar on Tuesday released a short video to announce that the party will contest the polls on its own.
“After holding discussions with the party leaders, we have decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections on our own,” said Jakhar. He put to rest weeks of speculation of the BJP-SAD alliance for the polls.
The BJP’s announcement to go solo in the polls is being seen as a setback for the saffron outfit. The SAD is learnt to have decided to stay away from the BJP because of the ongoing farmers’ protests. The SAD leadership, it has been learnt, was uncomfortable to shake hands with the BJP when the agitating farmers were still holding out at the Shambhu border with Haryana.
The BJP’s bid to enlarge the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had also suffered a setback after the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) spurned the overtures after weeks of speculation. The BJP and the BJD held prolonged negotiations as per a section of the media for seat adjustment. But the BJD threw up after the BJP pushed hard bargains on the Assembly seats, according to media reports.
“The BJP will work to fulfil aspirations of all sections of the society in Punjab,” said Jakhar. He spoke of Kartarpur Sahib, Minimum Support Prices, farmers, artisans, and others in the video. The BJP has borrowed several leaders from the Congress. Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh leads the pack from the Congress who are now in the BJP.
Ground reports suggest that the BJP is struggling to build a campaign in Punjab. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the lead BJP campaigner. But he has not visited Punjab for two years. In 2022, Modi’s visit to Punjab was cut short after he was stranded on a flyover following a major security breach.
Meanwhile, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandra Babu Naidu has said that it was the BJP which had sought an alliance with his party. Naidu told a meeting of the minority community that he wasn’t so keen about the alliance. “Since they (the BJP) asked for it (alliance), I thought it would be useful,” said Naidu.
Punjab is headed for a multi-cornered contest. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the state hopes to whip a sympathy wave following the arrest of the party leader Arvind Kejriwal.
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