The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has announced its alliance for the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections on Saturday. BSP will contest 20 seats in the 117-seat Assembly, while the SAD will contest 90 seats.

This was announced in Chandigarh by SAD president and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and senior BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra.

In 2017, the BJP had contested 20 seats in an alliance with the SAD. SAD came out of the NDA and severed ties with the BJP after the passage of three farm laws. Badal said the alliance will open a new chapter in the State. "It's a new day in Punjab politics, SAD and BSP to fight the 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly elections and future elections together," he said in Chandigarh.

Punjab has a large number of Dalit votes and BSP has pockets in almost every areas in the State. The SAD hopes that an alliance with the BSP will be beneficial to fill the gap created by the exit of BJP. The SAD-BSP alliance had contested the 1996 Lok Sabha polls together and won 11 out of 13 seats in Punjab. While three seats were won by the BSP and the rest were won by the SAD.

BSP chief Mayawati dubbed the alliance between the SAD and her party as a "new political and social initiative" which will usher in progress and prosperity in Punjab. SAD stalwart and former CM Parkash Singh Badal described the formation of the SAD-BSP alliance as "the beginning of a secular, federal democratic revolution in the state and the country for a total socio-economic and political revamp of polity".

The seats which the BSP will contest are Kartarpur Sahib, Jalandhar-West, Jalandhar-North, Phagwara, Hoshiarpur, Tanda, Dasuya, Chamkaur Sahib, Bassi Pathana, Mehal Kalan, Nawanshahr, Ludhiana North, Sujanpur, Bhoa, Pathankot, Mohali, Amritsar North, Amritsar Central, Payal and Anandpur Sahib.

About the new alliance, Mishra said, "Today is a historic day. The BSP, which is a national party, has entered into an alliance with Punjab's strongest party SAD." "This alliance will continue forever now," Mishra added. This tie-up has been revived after two parties were together 25 years ago, said Badal and Mishra. "Each BSP worker supports and welcomes this alliance. The SAD and the BSP are pro-farmer parties, who have worked for uplift of the Dalits, labourers and weaker sections," Mishra said.

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