BJP chief Amit Shah holds closed door meeting with Akali Dal leadership

After meeting Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray yesterday, BJP supremo Amit Shah today met the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leadership in Chandigarh today in a closed-door meeting.

The meeting was held between Shah and five-time Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal who was accompanied by his son Sukhbir Singh Badal. Shah met the duo as a part of BJP's initiative to patch up with NDA allies .

The alliance between BJP and SAD ruled the state of Punjab since 2007 but was relegated to the third spot in 2017 with just 18 seats in their bag.


SAD-BJP alliance in the 2014 general elections won a total of five seats of which four were won by Akali Dal and one by BJP. Sukhbir Badal's wife, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, is the Union Minister for Food Processing in the Narendra Modi government.

SAD has been an old trusted ally of the BJP with an alliance spanning over decades. The BJP has a significantly less presence in Punjab as compared top other northern states and SAD remains their only hope in Punjab.

SAD face stiff challenge from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab which has taken its place as the main opposition in the Punjab assembly.

Amit Shah is currently trying to meet NDA allies in an attempt to gear up for the 2019 general elections. Shah met Shiv Sena patron Uddhav Thackeray yesterday in Mumbai. The meeting was dubbed as a success by the BJP however Shiv Sena remained mum on the outsome of the same.