Political Temperature of Punjab: Is the BJP Preparing an Alliance with Giani Harpreet Singh–Led Akali Dal for 2027?
Tirchhi Nazar by Baljit Balli
A viral video showing Giani Harpreet Singh sharing light moments with Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini during a social function hosted by a BJP leader in Zirakpur has sparked fresh political speculation. While Giani Harpreet Singh’s interactions with BJP leaders are neither new nor do they reveal anything unprecedented about his proximity to the party’s central leadership, the brief clip—and the meeting it captures—has nevertheless given rise to political interpretations, many of which are already being drawn.
The issue at hand is not merely one of personal or social proximity of Giani Harpreet Singh, rather, it points to emerging political realignments in Punjab and the new possibilities taking shape amid a changing landscape of Sikh politics.
This is not just a matter of conjecture. Babushahi Network has information that a section of the BJP leadership is reportedly uncomfortable with Sukhbir Singh Badal and does not view the Akali Dal under his leadership as an asset, but rather as a liability. This faction within the BJP is not inclined towards an alliance with Sukhbir Badal’s Akali Dal.
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Broadly speaking, this group favours contesting the Punjab Assembly elections independently with the aim of forming a government on its own. At the same time, it is also said to support strengthening an Akali Dal led by Giani Harpreet Singh as a counterweight to Sukhbir Badal, and subsequently exploring the possibility of an alliance with this formation in the 2027 elections. It is in this context that the cordial interactions between leaders of the re-emerging Akali Dal—particularly Giani Harpreet Singh—and BJP leaders should be viewed.
It is noteworthy that this Akali Dal has now applied to the Election Commission of India for registration as a separate regional party under the name “SAD Punjab.”
Although the BJP’s national leadership has yet to finalise a clear and unified strategy for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections—whether to contest alone or enter into an alliance—this lack of clarity explains why state and central BJP leaders often articulate differing views on the subject. However, the possibility cannot be ruled out that a consensus may eventually emerge in favour of contesting the elections largely on its own, while simultaneously forging electoral understandings with Akali factions positioned against Sukhbir Badal or by engineering splits within other parties to create new groupings for tactical alliances.
With considerable time still remaining before 2027, and with many political ups and downs yet to unfold, only time will reveal the final outcome.
One thing, however, is already evident. Despite a considerable degree of anti-incumbency, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party led by CM Bhagwant Mann in Punjab appears comfortable in the current political climate. It is effectively capitalising on an opposition that is fragmented into three or four camps, and is working towards sustaining this advantage—much as it did by leveraging similar conditions in earlier electoral contests—to chart a strategy aimed at retaining power.