Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini is believed to have played a key role in facilitating the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) president Sukhbir Singh Badal, according to sources.
Sources said Sukhbir Badal met Saini at the Haryana Chief Minister’s residence, Sant Kabir Kutir, in Chandigarh before travelling to Delhi to meet the Prime Minister.
Alliance, delimitation discussed
According to sources, discussions between Saini and Badal focused on a possible alliance ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections, besides the Akali Dal’s support in Parliament on issues such as delimitation and the Women’s Reservation Bill.
The BJP is reportedly seeking the Akali Dal’s support on these issues in Parliament, while the SAD is looking for political support as it seeks to regain its position in Punjab.
Sources said the broad plan for Badal’s meeting with Modi was prepared during this meeting. After receiving clearance from the Prime Minister’s Office, the meeting was fixed. Badal reportedly received a call from the PMO around 11 pm on Thursday and subsequently travelled to Delhi.
SAD survey points to alliance
Sources linked to the Akali Dal said Sukhbir Badal had conducted a survey among party workers during the ‘Punjab Bachao’ rallies held across Assembly constituencies.
According to the survey, party workers felt that an alliance with the BJP could improve the SAD’s chances of returning to power, while contesting without an alliance would make victory difficult.
The survey also reportedly highlighted concerns over the party’s traditional Panthic vote base. Sources claimed that the support base of MP Amritpal Singh’s Shiromani Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) has been growing in rural and Panthic areas, while the SAD’s support has declined.
The sources also said the SAD (Punarjot) could further hurt the party’s prospects, leading to concerns within the Akali Dal that its traditional vote base is moving away.
BJP workers also surveyed
Sources further claimed that the Akali Dal subsequently sought feedback from BJP workers at the grassroots level through leaders close to Sukhbir Badal.
According to the sources, the feedback suggested that BJP workers also favoured a possible alliance, believing that a united vote base could improve the prospects of candidates from both parties.
However, the BJP’s Punjab leadership has publicly maintained that it intends to contest all 117 Assembly seats independently. The reported discussions and surveys therefore do not, by themselves, establish that a formal alliance has been finalised.
