Won’t accept younger brother role: Hardeep Singh Puri on BJP-SAD alliance buzz ahead of Punjab polls

2 min readLudhianaJun 14, 2026 06:18 AM IST

Amid speculation over a possible revival of SAD-BJP alliance ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri Saturday said the BJP would never accept the role of a “younger brother” (junior partner), asserting that the party is the country’s as well as the world’s largest.

Puri’s remarks came days after SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal brushed aside speculation about the possible alliance with the BJP, saying that his focus was on strengthening his party.

In Ludhiana, Puri told reporters, “Presently, the BJP is the largest political party in India and in the world. If somebody thinks that you can make us a younger brother by entering into an alliance, it will not happen.”

At a separate event in Amritsar, when Union Minister Manohar Lal was asked about the SAD alliance rumours, he said, “It is a policy matter, our party’s central leadership will decide the strategy. Strategy can’t be disclosed before it is finalised.”

Asked if the BJP is capable of fighting all 117 Assembly seats on its own, Lal recalled the party’s electoral success in West Bengal, where it had gone solo and won 207 seats.

Meanwhile, sources said BJP’s Punjab leadership has been asked to start preparing for all 117 seats during a high-level organisational meeting at party headquarters in New Delhi, Friday, which was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief Nitin Nabin and Punjab BJP brass. It was the first comprehensive session of Punjab BJP leadership after the appointment of Kewal Singh Dhillon as the new state chief.

BJP leader Parminder Singh Brar said, “BJP will contest elections all 117 seats on its own strength and form government. There will be no alliance with any party.”