- Shiromani Akali Dal publicly backs Delimitation Bill and Women’s Reservation Bill implementation
- SAD supports uniform 50% seat increase in all states under the Delimitation Bill
- SAD previously opposed the Bill but changed stance amid alliance talks with BJP
A day after Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party has publicly announced its support to the Delimitation Bill and the implementation Women's Reservation bill.
The support to the Delimitation Bill is a clear indication that a SAD-BJP alliance for the upcoming Punjab elections is in the works.
Supporting the Centre's delimitation plan, Badal on Saturday posted that the party demands the immediate implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill in the country. He added that SAD supports Centre's proposal for a uniform 50% increase in seats in all states.
"The Shiromani Akali Dal, at a meeting of its senior leaders in Chandigarh today, demanded the immediate implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill in the country," Badal posted on X.
"The Shiromani Akali Dal draws inspiration from the teachings of the Sikh Gurus, who championed the dignity, equality and equal rights of women. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (@SGPCAmritsar) has already set an example by providing for women's reservation in its House.
After detailed deliberations on key issues before Parliament, the Shiromani Akali Dal also demanded a fair and equitable Delimitation that ensures equal representation to all States.
The Shiromani Akali Dal supported the proposal which was put up by Govt of India at the floor of the house of uniform increase of 50% of seats of all states," he added.
The SAD chief also demanded that women reservation and Delimitation "should be done immediately".
Interestingly, Akali Dal had opposed the Delimitation Bill when Centre first brought it in Parliament in April and had voted against it along with the Opposition. The part had then described the bill as discriminatory towards Punjab stating that the state will only see a marginal increase in seats while neighbouring states will gain more.
Now, with the alliance talks gaining momentum, the party has said that it supports the Delimitation Bill with 50% seat increase assurance.
The nearly two-and-a-half-decade-old alliance between the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal collapsed in 2020 amid the controversy over the three contentious farm laws. At the time, the Akali Dal announced its decision to withdraw from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Since then, both parties contested the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections independently. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP failed to win any seats in the state, while the Akali Dal managed to secure only one.
Badal's meeting with the Prime Minister at Parliament on Friday had set the speculation buzzing around the two parties reviving their old alliance.
Sources told NDTV that the Akali Dal, the state BJP unit, and the RSS are all in favour of reviving the alliance. Leaders who have joined the BJP from the Congress also favour the restoration of the alliance, and the final call rests with the BJP's central leadership, sources added.
According to sources, the BJP wants the renewal of the alliance on equal footing now. Previously, the BJP played the role of junior partner in the alliance, and the Akali Dal always had the upper hand.
However, according to Akali leaders, details such as seat-sharing can be discussed later and the immediate priority is to improve the situation in Punjab.
