The BJP has not only mopped up MPs from parties suffering from identity crises and electoral defeats, it has also begun to rebuild on the ideological front. While its detractors are celebrating the emergence of the Cockroach Janta Party and the seeming disillusionment of Gen Z with the current establishment, the BJP is focusing on the electoral reality. And this will receive a major boost with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) very probably returning to the NDA fold. That is the message the high-profile meeting between PM Modi and Sukhbir Singh Badal communicates. Already, SAD has declared its support to the Delimitation and Women’s Reservation Bills.
SAD had to break ranks with the NDA as Punjab politics required it to back the protests against the farm laws. This was despite the long-term and stable relationship with the BJP, as they occupy the same conservative political space. The mutual transfer of votes built a compatibility that not only prevailed in Punjab but sent a strong message across much of North India. The BJP had a similar alliance with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, which is why, eventually, there was a breakaway from Uddhav Thackeray and a consolidation of the Hindutva plank in that state.
The period that SAD abided by its stand on the proposed farmers’ laws witnessed the rise and decline of the ‘alternative’ – the Aam Aadmi Government. There is increasing disillusionment regarding the self-serving policies of the Mann regime. Even the prominent leader of the Congress and former CM, Captain Amarinder Singh, joined the BJP in the effort to bring stability in Punjab, both, economically and politically. As such, it was time for SAD to end its period of self-imposed exile.
If the mutual transfer of votes between the BJP and Akali bases remains and trust returns, the alliance will very likely be in position to regain power. It is not just disillusionment with AAP that lies behind this development, but also the dangers posed by Pakistan’s support to cross-border drug smuggling and attempts to revive separatist extremism. AAP has not been able to forge an effective strategy on these fronts and, instead, has banked on blind populism to retain its hold over power.
These developments, along with the passage of transformative laws in Parliament, should put the BJP in a strong position to regain a parliamentary majority on its own in the coming Lok Sabha elections. However, at the present, there remain a few bridges to cross, including the coming contest in Uttarakhand.
