Former Indian National Congress' (INC) twice Panjab Chief Minister and current Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Captain Amarinder Singh has strongly advocated a pre-poll alliance between the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for the 2027 Panjab Assembly elections. He asserted there is 'no other way' for the BJP to form a government in the state. Amarinder, who joined the BJP in 2022, said the saffron party still lacked a strong organizational base in rural Panjab and 'does not understand the state well enough to build a strong organizational base independently'. His remarks have reignited speculation about a possible reunion of the BJP-led old National Democratic Alliance allies, who parted ways in 2020–21 over the draconian Farm Laws. Earlier, another senior former INC leader now in BJP, Sunil Jhakar had also advocated such a tie-up between BJP and SAD. Their push, however, faces stiff resistance within the BJP, with leaders dismissing them as purely personal opinion. Former Member of Parliament Vijay Sampla underscored the BJP’s string of solo victories since 2021—from local body polls to Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) contests—asserting workers seek no tie-up. Former Panjab minister Surjit Singh Jyani said, 'This is Captain Amarinder’s personal opinion. We are going solo in Panjab. The high command has directed us to prepare for all 117 seats.' Panjab finance minister from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) slammed the Captain, accusing him and the Badal family of a 'two-decade-long conspiracy to plunder the state's resources'. He added, 'Panjab will no longer tolerate the politics of loot dominated by these two families. By rotating power between 2002 and 2022, the two families systematically enriched themselves and protected each other from legal action.' In another key development, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Secretary of the Home Department, Government of Panjab, seeking an Action Taken Report (ATR) on serious allegations of state-sanctioned extra-judicial killings. NHRC has taken cognizance of a complaint alleging that the Director General of Police (DGP), Panjab, Gaurav Yadav, issued directives to police officials to conduct 'encounters' to get promotions (earlier coverage).
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