Eyeing a pan-India footprint after its huge success in the recent Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) elections, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has apparently decided to contest alone in 12 seats in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.
The decision to start legwork in 12 constituencies was taken after the Akalis failed to reach a seat-sharing agreement with the BJP, its alliance partner in Punjab.
In line with this, the Akalis will contest these seats even if the BJP fields candidates for these seats.
The 12 constituencies chosen by the SAD are Rajouri Garden, Tilak Nagar, Hari Nagar, Moti Nagar, Timarpur, Adarsh Nagar, Greater Kailash, Kalkaji, Parparganj, Shadara, Shakur Basti and Vishvas Nagar.
Explaining the reason behind the move, a party leader said, “The BJP is not able to decide on sharing seats with the SAD. With little time to go for the elections, the leadership has asked us to contest from the seats having a big chunk of Punjabi and Sikh population independently.”
The reason for the parting of ways in Delhi was the deadlock over Rajouri Garden and Tilak Nagar seats. The BJP wanted the Akalis to chose from one of these.
The development does not bode well for both the allies. According to SAD sources, the party can barely hope to get one seat while the BJP could lose the seats where SAD puts up candidates. Sources said its Delhi unit is going to start holding poll meetings in the 12 constituencies from Tuesday.
The announcement of BJP’s Delhi state unit president Harshvardhan as chief ministerial candidate in place of unit president Vijay Goel has the BJP men in Delhi in a state of flux.
In the 2008 Assembly elections, the SAD had contested four seats - Rajouri Garden, Adarsh Nagar, Jangpura and Shahdara - but lost all of them.
Of these two were fought on the SAD symbol and two were fought on the BJP symbol.
SAD Spokesman Daljeet Singh Cheema said, “Our talks with the BJP are going on and the final decision is yet to be taken.
“We hope things will work. The Delhi unit of the party had a meeting with SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and they have apprised him of the situation.”
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister and SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal had been maintaining from day one that his party would contest the Delhi Assembly elections in alliance with the BJP.
with thanks : Indian Express : LINK
