# BJP wants equal seat-sharing with SAD, says Hardeep Puri 2026-09-19T21:23:02+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday said the BJP will not enter an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal at present but any future pact would require equal seat-sharing. Speaking in Amritsar, Puri said the earlier arrangement under which the BJP contested 22-23 of Punjab's 117 assembly seats while the SAD contested the rest would no longer work. The Times of India reports Puri said the BJP will not be a junior partner. India Today reports Puri also said the BJP will leave no stone unturned to eradicate the drug menace in Punjab and that the Centre was working on a war footing to create jobs. He targeted the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, alleging misrule and insecurity under chief minister Bhagwant Mann. Puri later met businessmen and said their concerns would be taken up with ministries. A meeting between PM Modi and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal in August had sparked speculation of a renewed alliance, the Times of India reports. The SAD had ended the alliance in 2020 over the Centre's farm laws, later repealed. Puri said the party leadership takes the final call on any alliance, and that a BJP 'double engine' government would be formed in Punjab in 2027. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both sources report the same statements from Puri, but frame them differently. The Times of India leads with the equal seat-sharing demand and alliance speculation, giving the SAD context of the 2020 break and the August meeting. India Today leads with Puri ruling out an alliance at present and emphasises his meetings with businessmen and the Rozgar Mela. Neither source adopts a stance on the statements. The difference is in what they foreground: the Times of India emphasises the political alliance question, while India Today emphasises Puri's developmental and law-and-order messaging. The key fact is that Puri set a high bar for any future alliance, making a pre-2027 partnership unlikely without SAD conceding more seats. The BJP's 2027 Punjab election campaign is now publicly conditional on equal partnership, a significant shift from the past junior role. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Straight news report of Puri's statements, gives alliance history context. - indiatoday.in (neutral report) Straight news report, foregrounds Puri's schedule and business meetings. Tags: BJP, Hardeep Singh Puri, Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal, Sukhbir Singh Badal Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/bjp-wants-equal-seat-sharing-with-sad-says-hardeep-puri/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/bjp-wants-equal-seat-sharing-with-sad-says-hardeep-puri/#story-in-brief