By Nitin Mahajan
With the resignation of its oldest ally Shiromani Akali Dal Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal from the union cabinet, the Bharatiya Janata Party may decide to go on for solo contest in the next Assembly polls in Punjab.
Sources stated that the BJP is seriously considering the issue of going alone in Punjab as the party feels that Akalis have become a liability on it in the State.
The top echelons of the party feel that it has a better chance in securing a base for itself in the state if it stops playing second fiddle to the SAD.
There is a thought on the BJP that it should come out of the shadow of SAD if it wants to grow in the State.
There is a thought in the party that while BJP commands the votes of Hindus in the State, it has been rather reluctant to reach out to the Sikh community in the Punjab due to the Akali factor.
The party feels that now time has come to reach out to the powerful Sikh community in the State as well and expand its reach.
Top leadership of the party feels that the time in now ripe to step out of the shadow of the SAD and its stalwart Parkash Singh Badal and create its own mark in the State.
With the Punjab assembly polls, for the 117 seats, scheduled for early 2022 the BJP has to prepare for a poll strategy soon. The party feels that a three way contest with Akalis and Congress could help ensure it become a formidable force in the State and stops playing second fiddle to the SAD.