Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri stated that the BJP will seek equal seat-sharing with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) if the two parties renew their alliance for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections. He noted that the previous arrangement, where the BJP contested about 22–23 of the 117 seats and the SAD contested the remainder, would no longer be acceptable, as the BJP does not want to remain the junior partner.
The prospect of revived ties surfaced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal in August. The SAD had ended its alliance with the BJP in 2020 over the Centre’s farm laws, which were later repealed. Puri also said the BJP would focus on addressing Punjab's drug menace and creating employment opportunities for unemployed youth.
He criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for what he described as deteriorating law-and-order conditions. The exact seat-sharing arrangement is yet to be finalised as talks on a possible BJP-SAD alliance continue.
