Archive · 27 Aug 2026
BJP-SAD Alliance’s Long Political History Shapes Possible Patch-Up
The BJP and SAD had a long political partnership in Punjab.
The partnership lasted for nearly 25 years.
Their relationship goes back to the 1952 elections.
At that time, the Jana Sangh supported an Akali-led political front.
This was an early example of parties working together outside the Congress.
The Shiromani Akali Dal was founded in 1920.
It began as a task force connected to the Sikh religious body SGPC.
The article asks whether the two parties can or should reunite politically.
The BJP-SAD partnership was a defining alliance in Punjab for nearly 25 years.
It was among India’s longest-standing political partnerships.
The relationship dates to the 1952 general elections and a United Front government in PEPSU.
The alliance developed from an early non-Congress experiment involving Jana Sangh and the Akali Dal.
The Shiromani Akali Dal was founded in 1920 with religious origins linked to the SGPC.
- Who
- The Bharatiya Janata Party, the Shiromani Akali Dal, the Jana Sangh, the Congress, and the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee are discussed.
- What
- The article examines the long history of the BJP-SAD partnership and raises the question of a possible political patch-up.
- When
- The relationship is traced to the 1952 general elections and is described as lasting nearly a quarter of a century.
- Where
- The partnership is discussed mainly in relation to Punjab and the Patiala and East Punjab States Union.
- Why
- The alliance is significant because it was one of India’s longest-standing political partnerships and an early non-Congress political experiment.
- Alliance
- Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiromani Akali Dal
- Duration
- Nearly a quarter of a century
- Relationship origin
- The 1952 general elections
- Early government
- United Front government in the Patiala and East Punjab States Union
- Akali Dal founding
- Founded in 1920
- Religious connection
- Formed as a task force of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee