Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Sunday, 9 August sharply questioned Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal over his apparent reversal on the sensitive issue of delimitation of Assembly and parliamentary constituencies, accusing him of abandoning Punjab's interests in a bid to secure an electoral alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.

The Delimitation U-Turn

Warring pointed out that just three months ago, the Shiromani Akali Dal had publicly opposed the Delimitation Bill, describing it as detrimental to Punjab's interests. He questioned what had changed in that short span to make Badal reverse course. 'So, what changed within these three months that you started seeing merit in the same Bill, you otherwise found against Punjab's interests?' Warring asked, adding pointedly, 'Sukhbir has turned more loyal than the king within no time.'

Political Survival Behind the Shift, Says Warring

The Punjab Congress chief argued that Badal's change of stance is driven not by principle but by desperation for political survival. He recalled that when the Akalis failed to stitch an alliance with the BJP ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections, Badal had publicly claimed he would not compromise Punjab's interests. 'Now that you are desperate for your own survival, you have simply forgotten the interests of Punjab for which you claimed to have taken a stand in 2024,' Warring said, asserting that Badal's political opportunism stood exposed once again.

Congress Confident Despite Possible Akali-BJP Tie-Up

Warring maintained that even if the SAD and the BJP formalise an electoral alliance for the 2027 state polls, it would have little bearing on electoral outcomes. 'People of Punjab have neither forgotten the sacrilege, nor the atrocities on farmers that the two parties are respectively guilty of,' he said. He argued that the two parties coming together would only serve to further expose their opportunism rather than improve their combined electoral prospects.

Context: A Fractured Alliance History

The SAD-BJP alliance, which had governed Punjab for decades, broke down in 2020 over the contentious farm laws, with the Akali Dal exiting the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Since then, both parties have contested separately, suffering significant losses in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections. Any renewed alliance would mark a major political realignment in the state, and critics argue it would test voter memory on both the sacrilege controversy and the farmers' agitation.

What to Watch

With the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections approaching, the question of whether the SAD and BJP can formally reconcile — and on what terms — will be a defining subplot of state politics. How Badal responds to the Congress's delimitation challenge, and whether the BJP signals openness to an alliance, will shape the opposition landscape in the months ahead.