A day after Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party publicly backed the Delimitation Bill and called for the immediate implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill.
The SAD’s support for the Centre’s delimitation proposal has fuelled speculation that talks for a possible alliance between the SAD and BJP ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections may be progressing.
Backing the Centre’s proposal on Saturday, Badal said the party wanted the Women’s Reservation Bill to be implemented without delay. He also said the SAD supported the government’s proposal for a uniform 50 per cent increase in the number of seats across all states.
“The Shiromani Akali Dal, at a meeting of its senior leaders in Chandigarh today, demanded the immediate implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the country,” Badal posted on X.
Badal said the SAD drew inspiration from the Sikh Gurus, who advocated dignity, equality and equal rights for women. He also pointed to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), saying it had already taken a step in this direction by providing for women’s reservation in its House.
After discussing key issues before Parliament, the SAD also called for a fair and balanced delimitation exercise that would ensure equal representation for all states, Badal said. He added that the party supported the proposal put forward by the Government of India in Parliament for a uniform 50 per cent increase in the number of seats in all states.
The SAD chief also said that both women’s reservation and delimitation should be implemented immediately.
The development is significant because the Akali Dal had opposed the Delimitation Bill when it was first introduced by the Centre in Parliament in April. The party had voted against the legislation along with Opposition parties and described it as unfair to Punjab. It had argued that Punjab would see only a limited rise in seats, while neighbouring states could gain considerably more.
The party’s latest position comes amid growing speculation about a possible renewal of the SAD-BJP alliance. The Akali Dal has now said it supports the delimitation proposal, provided there is an assurance of a 50 per cent increase in seats.
The BJP-SAD alliance, which had lasted for nearly 25 years, ended in 2020 during the controversy over the three farm laws. The Akali Dal subsequently announced its withdrawal from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Since then, the two parties have contested elections separately. They fought independently in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In the 2024 general elections, the BJP failed to win a single seat in Punjab, while the SAD won only one.
Badal’s meeting with Prime Minister Modi in Parliament on Friday sparked fresh speculation about the possibility of the two parties reviving their old alliance.
Sources said the Akali Dal, the Punjab BJP unit and the RSS are all in favour of bringing the alliance back. Leaders who moved to the BJP from the Congress are also reportedly supporting the idea. The final decision, however, will rest with the BJP’s central leadership, the sources said.
According to the sources, the BJP now wants any renewed alliance to be based on equal terms. In the earlier arrangement, the BJP was the junior partner, while the Akali Dal held the dominant position.
Akali leaders, however, believe that issues such as seat-sharing can be discussed at a later stage. For now, they say, the priority should be to improve the political and overall situation in Punjab.
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