When will some sense of responsibility prevail in decision-makers in view of the existing state of affairs?
Voting
School education in Punjab has around 9,400 Senior Secondary Schools, and around 4,600 Middle or elementary schools are providing the next level of education. Primary schools are around 13,500 in 12,580 inhabited villages.
The Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP shared a long political alliance, formally sealed through a seat-sharing deal in 1996. Their partnership brought together different voter bases, with the Shiromani Akali Dal drawing support from rural Sikh voters and the BJP from urban Hindu voters. However, the alliance broke in 2020 over the farm laws. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, both parties contested separately, raising questions about their individual electoral strength. With Punjab’s 2027 Assembly elections approaching, could reviving the old alliance help both parties regain ground or have political realities changed too much for their past formula to work again ?
शिरोमणि अकाली दल और भाजपा के बीच लंबे समय तक राजनीतिक गठबंधन रहा, जिसे 1996 में सीटों के बंटवारे के समझौते के साथ औपचारिक रूप दिया गया। इस साझेदारी में दोनों दलों के अलग-अलग मतदाता आधार एक साथ आए। शिरोमणि अकाली दल को ग्रामीण सिख मतदाताओं का समर्थन मिलता था, जबकि भाजपा को शहरी हिंदू मतदाताओं का। हालांकि, 2020 में कृषि कानूनों के मुद्दे पर यह गठबंधन टूट गया। 2024 के लोकसभा चुनाव में दोनों दलों ने अलग-अलग चुनाव लड़ा, जिससे उनकी अपनी-अपनी चुनावी ताकत पर सवाल उठे। पंजाब में 2027 के विधानसभा चुनाव नजदीक आने के साथ, क्या पुराने गठबंधन को फिर से बहाल करने से दोनों दलों को अपनी खोई राजनीतिक जमीन वापस पाने में मदद मिलेगी या राजनीतिक हालात इतने बदल चुके हैं कि पुराना फॉर्मूला अब काम नहीं करेगा ?
A possible alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal ahead of the 2027 Punjab elections could put Punjab BJP leaders in an awkward spot. Some leaders built their political standing by attacking the Akali Dal, while some joined the BJP after leaving other parties. If the two parties now come together, will these leaders have to defend a partner they once criticised ? Would an alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal force its state leaders to surrender the political space they have spent years trying to build ?
