Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi says the BJP is not planning to end its alliance with the Akali Dal in Punjab, after the drubbing they got in the assembly election in the state.
[File] Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi | PTI
Said Naqvi to THE WEEK, “The Akali Dal is a tried and tested ally of the NDA. We respect the mandate of the people in Punjab. Our alliance with the Akali Dal is very strong. There is no question of discarding the Akali Dal.”
While the BJP registered a phenomenal win in the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, its performance in Punjab was disappointing. The party won only three seats of the 23 seats where it fielded candidates. The Akali Dal won 15 of the 94 seats it contested in the 117-member assembly. Some BJP leaders blamed the alliance with the Akali Dal for the failure of the party in Punjab. The decade-long rule of the Akali Dal-BJP alliance in the state was embroiled in controversies and violence. The state was also coping with the drug problem.
Said Anil Vij, a BJP minister in Haryana, “Our loss in Punjab was because of the Akali Dal as it was the dominant force there. If the BJP had contested the elections in Punjab alone, I am sure we would have formed the government.”
The Congress had a comfortable win in the elections in Punjab, winning 77 seats. The Aam Aadmi Party came second, winning 20 seats.
Amarinder Singh, who led the Congress to victory in the state, will take oath as chief minister on March 16.
