Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Chief Sukhbir Singh Badal speaking to the media. Image used for representational purpose only.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Amid buzz over a potential reunion of SAD-BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday (October 23, 2026), said the AAP and Congress are the “biggest enemies” of Punjab and his party is open to an alliance with other parties that agree with their ideology and programmes.
Mr. Badal asserted that peace prevailed in Punjab when the SAD-BJP ran a coalition government.
Assembly polls in Punjab are scheduled to be held early next year.
Talking to reporters in Chandigarh, Mr. Badal said a SAD delegation met Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Friday (October 23, 2026) and discussed how an “incompetent Chief Minister” has ruined the state and that the law and order situation has completely collapsed.
The Badal-led delegation met the Governor over the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa and presented a memorandum with some demands which included the dismissal of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Badal said, “During the SAD-BJP rule, peace prevailed in Punjab, and the State witnessed development, be it in infrastructure, industry, or State becoming power surplus.”
Due to wrong decisions of the Congress and AAP governments, the situation in Punjab turned bad, he said.
“Whether we form the government or not, we will continue to fight for the people of Punjab. In our view, the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party are the two biggest enemies of Punjab, and we can never have understanding with these parties. There are many other parties besides these and those who agree with the Akali Dal’s ideology and programmes; we are open (for a tie-up),” he said.
At an event in Delhi on Thursday (October 22, 2026), Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that an NDA government will be in place in Punjab in 2027.
The statement reignited the buzz about a reunion between the former allies.
Earlier in August, when Mr. Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his office in Parliament House, it had ignited speculation about the possibility of the regional party joining hands with the BJP again.
The SAD had snapped its 24-year-old alliance with the BJP in September 2020 over the now-scrapped three farm laws. Earlier, Lok Sabha member Harsimrat Kaur Badal was also part of the Modi government as a minister with Cabinet rank.
In recent months, many Punjab BJP leaders have been saying that they are preparing to fight all 117 seats in the Assembly elections.
In the 2022 polls, the BJP won two seats, and the SAD could register victories in three Assembly segments.
Published – October 23, 2026 03:59 pm IST
