Shiromani Akali Dal’s student wing, SOI, has extended support to the RSS-linked ABVP for the Panjab University elections. This move is seen as a key political signal ahead of the Punjab state elections, hinting at a potential SAD-BJP reunion.
In what is being read as a key signal ahead of the state elections in Punjab next year, the Student Organisation of India (SOI), the student wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), has extended its support to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which is linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), for the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) elections. https://x.com/ABVPVoice/status/2094124124767682762?s=20
According to the official post of the ABVP, the alliance between the ABVP and the SOI was announced on Sunday, just ahead of the PUCSC polling set to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Monday. The main reason behind this alliance is the rejection of the SOI candidate’s nomination papers, which prevented the party from contesting directly this time. Consequently, SOI’s entire vote base and support will now transfer to the ABVP alliance.
Following the completion of polling in the respective departments, starting from 11:00 am onwards, ballot boxes for Office Bearers will be collected from the Returning Officer on the ground floor of each concerned block and transported to the Gymnasium Hall by DSW staff and wardens. From 12:00 pm onwards, the results for Departmental Representatives (DR) will be displayed in their respective departments. Simultaneously, the counting of votes and the declaration of results for Office Bearers will take place at the Gymnasium Hall.
Meanwhile, security has been stepped up across the campus, with strict checks being conducted at all three entry gates amid concerns regarding the movement of outsiders. Authorities have heightened vigilance to maintain law and order throughout the election process, deploying security personnel at key locations and inspecting all vehicles and visitors entering the campus.
A Signal for SAD-BJP Reunion?
The coming together of the Akali Dal Students wing and the ABVP comes just after senior Akali Dale leader Bikram Singh Majithia on August 21 told ANI that the people in the state want the two former allies to come together, citing Punjab’s status as a border state and the importance of maintaining social harmony.
Majithia recalled the longstanding political relationship between the SAD and BJP, saying the alliance had been strengthened under former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, and continued during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure. “We should understand that the Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP have worked together. Vajpayee ji and Badal ji strengthened this alliance, and it continued during Modi ji’s time,” Majithia said.
The SAD and BJP had ended their alliance in 2020 after the Akali Dal withdrew from the BJP-led NDA over the Centre’s farm laws. Referring to the circumstances in Punjab, Majithia said the state’s position as a border state, along with concerns surrounding social harmony and its social fabric, has led people to favour a reunion between the two parties. “We had gone our separate ways over the farm laws. But considering Punjab’s situation as a border state, social harmony and the social fabric, people want the two parties to come together,” he said. (ANI)
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