This is the first Assembly election that the Shiromani Akali Dal is contesting after its bitter divorce from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Together since 1997, the Akalis left the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in 2020 over the controversial farm laws.
This is also the first Assembly election where the Akalis do not have the cushion of urban votes that the BJP managed to secure for them. Back with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) after a gap of 26 years, the Akalis are hoping to wipe away memories of the eminently forgettable 2017 results as Punjab goes to vote in six days.
