Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday announced that the BJP will contest the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections independently, ending speculation about reviving its alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal.
Speaking at a rally in Moga, Shah cited the BJP's 19% vote share in Punjab during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as the foundation for forming the next government. "Where the BJP gets 19 per cent of the vote, the next government formed there is of the BJP. And this happened in Odisha, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Uttarakhand, and now it is the turn of Punjab," Shah stated.
The BJP leader promised to enact an anti-conversion law within a month of coming to power and vowed to uproot the drug trade from Punjab within two years. He claimed Punjab accounts for about 45% of the country's illicit drug trade.
Shah declared the BJP was done playing the role of "chhota bhai" (younger brother) in Punjab politics, where the SAD-BJP alliance had formed governments thrice between 1997-2017. The Shiromani Akali Dal ended its 24-year alliance with the BJP in September 2020 over the now-scrapped farm laws.
The announcement drew criticism from the SAD and SGPC, with SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal welcoming the BJP to test its strength independently while emphasizing regional versus "Delhi-based" party interests.
