Abandoned by SAD, BJP to contest all 117 seats in 2022 Punjab elections

Nearly two months after BJP's long-term ally in Punjab Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) broke away from the NDA over the contentious farm laws, party General Secretary Tarun Chugh announced that the Bharatiya Janata Party will contest all 117 Assembly constituencies in the 2022 state polls on its own.

Chugh said that the party is strengthening its organisation on a war footing to contest all seats in the next Punjab Assembly polls.

"BJP is strengthening its organisation on a war footing to contest all 117 Assembly seats in Punjab," Chugh said.

The BJP General Secretary said that party President Jagat Prakash Nadda will virtually inaugurate 10 district offices of the party on November 19.

In September, SAD went against the NDA over three new agriculture sector reform laws enacted - Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Service Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

Later, SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal also resigned from the Union cabinet.

BJP's alliance with SAD in Punjab dates back to 1992. As per the seat-sharing formula settled between the allies over the years, the SAD being the senior partner used to contest on around 94 seats and the BJP on 23.

Out of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, SAD used to field candidates in 10 constituencies and the BJP on three.

In 2017 Assembly polls, Congress won an absolute majority in the state by winning 77 seats and ousted the SAD-BJP government after 10 years.

The SAD-BJP performed poorly in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as they won 2 seats each while Congress bagged 8 seats in Punjab.