Relevance of Badals in question after dismal show in Lok Sabha elections

A look at Punjab's election results shows that the party might just have itself to blame for the debacle

As the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) went into a huddle last week to dissect its dismal showing in the general election, the party’s leaders put the blame on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Akali leaders blamed the BJP’s quota politics — allowing reservation to economically disadvantaged in the general category — as being the reason for Dalits not rallying behind them.
 
SAD leader Maheshinder Grewal told the media: “The anti-reservation rhetoric caused us a lot of damage in this election. The community (Dalits) felt that the BJP, which is our alliance partner, may discard the reservation system if it