SAD, BSP form alliance for 2022 Pnj Assembly polls

Chandigarh: The Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) formed an alliance on Saturday for the 2022 Punjab Assembly election, with SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal heralding the tie-up as a "new day" in state politics.

Announcing the tie-up at a joint press conference with BSP's general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra, Badal said: "Today is a new day in Punjab's politics, a historic day... a day of big turn in Punjab's politics."

He said the SAD and the BSP will jointly fight the 2022 polls and future elections together.

The BSP led by former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati will fight 20 of the 117 Assembly seats in Punjab, while the rest will be contested by the SAD, he said.

The BSP will contest seven seats in Malwa, five in Majha and eight in the Doaba region of Punjab, said Badal, adding the two parties will soon form a coordination committee to jointly chalk out various programmes ahead of the polls.

The leaders of the two outfits said the alliance will sweep the 2022 polls and oust the non-performing Congress from power.

The SAD earlier had a tie-up with the BJP and the Badal-led party walked out of the NDA over the farm laws issue last year. The BJP used to contest 23 seats under its alliance with the SAD.

About the new alliance, Mishra said: "Today is a historic day. BSP, which is a national party, has entered into an alliance with Punjab's strongest party SAD."

The parties are joining hands after a gap of 25 years. The SAD-BSP alliance had contested the 1996 Lok Sabha polls together and won 11 out of 13 seats in Punjab.

"This alliance will continue forever now," Mishra added.

"Each BSP worker supports and welcomes this alliance. SAD and BSP are pro-farmers parties, who have worked for the upliftment of Dalits, labourers, weaker sections...," Mishra said.