SAD, BSP stitch alliance for Punjab Assembly polls

Ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections in Punjab, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has entered into an alliance with the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The SAD will contest the upcoming Punjab polls on 97 out of the 117 Assembly seats while the BSP will get the remaining 20 seats.

Chandigarh:The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Saturday forged an alliance for the 2022 Assembly elections in Punjab. Announcing the tie-up at a press conference, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal described it as a "new day in politics of Punjab."

"It's a new day in Punjab politics, Shiromani Akali Dal and Bahujan Samaj Party will fight the 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly elections and future elections together," Badal said, adding that his party will contest the upcoming Punjab polls on 97 out of the 117 Assembly seats while Mayawati-led BSP will get the remaining 20 seats.

The Akali Dal and BSP have entered into an electoral alliance after 27 years since the 1996 Lok Sabha elections when their alliance had bagged 11 of 13 seats in Punjab. The Mayawati-led party had then won all three seats it had contested while the Akali Dal won eight out of 10 seats. The upcoming assembly elections in Punjab are scheduled to take place next year.

(With inputs from ANI)