BJP’s Punjab state president, Sunil Jakhar, declared on Tuesday that the party would go solo in the upcoming Lok Sabha election and would not forge an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Last week, there were speculations that the SAD and BJP might strike a pre-poll pact if both parties could agree on seat-sharing in the state.

“This decision was made based on the feedback from the people and party workers in the state. It was taken with the welfare of farmers and businessmen in mind,” Jakhar stated in a post on X. The polling for 13 seats in Punjab is scheduled for June 1.

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Amid protests from farmers, who have been demanding legal Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their agricultural produce, Jakhar assured that every grain was bought at MSP, and the funds had been transferred to the farmers’ accounts within weeks.

“The Kartarpur corridor, a long-standing demand, was also made possible under PM Modi’s leadership, with the blessings of Waheguru,” added the Punjab BJP chief.

The Kartarpur Corridor allows visa-free access to the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara, situated just across the border in Pakistan. This initiative fulfills a prayer in ‘Ardas’, the Sikh prayer, for “khulle (open) darshan” of the gurdwaras from which Sikh followers were previously separated.

SAD has been one of BJP’s oldest allies. However, the alliance severed ties with the NDA in September 2020 over the now-repealed farm laws that sparked widespread protests in northern India.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, SAD and BJP contested together but failed to achieve the desired results. While the Congress secured eight seats, defying the pro-BJP wave seen in northern and central India, the remaining five were divided among BJP (2), SAD (2), and the Aam Aadmi Party.