LS Polls: SAD Reveals Candidates For Punjab’s Anandpur Sahib, Gurdaspur In First List Of 7 Names

Ahead of the Lok Sabah polls, Siromani Akali Dal released first list of Seven Candidates for the electoral battle.

File photo of Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal

Source : PTI

New Delhi: On the occasion of Baisakhi, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday released its first list candidates for seven Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. The list includes Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema from Gurdaspur, Prem Singh Chandu Majra from Anandpur Sahib, N K Sharma from Patiala, Anil Joshi from Amritsar, Vikramjit Singh Khalsa from Fatehgarh Sahib, Rajwinder Singh from Faridkot, and Iqbal Singh Jhunda from Sangrur.

Daljit Singh Cheema, a senior leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal, posted on X, "S Sukhbir Singh Badal announced a list of 7 senior leaders of party as candidates for the Parliament Elections 2024. Choosing the historic & pious occasion of ‘Khalsa Sirjana Divas’ as the most suited day to sound the poll bugle".

SAD President S Sukhbir Singh Badal announced a list of 7 senior leaders of party as candidates for the Parliament Elections 2024. Choosing the historic & pious occasion of ‘Khalsa Sirjana Divas’ as the most suited day to sound the poll bugle, he released the first list of…

— Dr Daljit S Cheema (@drcheemasad) April 13, 2024

As the BJP announced on March 26 to contest all 13 parliamentary seats in Punjab independently, all possibilities were brought to an abrupt halt regarding a potential alliance with the SAD for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP Alliance Breakup

The SAD was one of the oldest allies of the BJP. However, their alliance faced a rupture in September 2020 due to the contentious farm laws, leading to the SAD's withdrawal from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) amidst widespread protests in northern India.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, despite their coalition, the SAD and BJP failed to achieve their anticipated success. The Congress secured eight seats, defying the pro-BJP momentum witnessed in other parts of northern and central India. The BJP managed to secure two seats, while the SAD also won two, and the Aam Aadmi Party clinched one.