Chandigarh, Dec. 2 -- With barely a year left for the 2027 Punjab assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continues to grapple with a dilemma - whether to revive its decades-old alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) or chart its future alone. Such is the scenario on ground that the indecision and mixed signals from senior leaders has created visible confusion within the rank and file of the state BJP. The latest to join the chorus for reconciliation with the SAD is former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh. In a recent interview to a private web channel, Amarinder, who had joined the BJP in 2023, asserted that the saffron party cannot form a government in Punjab on its own and needs a reunion with the Akali Dal in 2027. This, he said, would benefit both parties. Amarinder is not alone. Over the past couple of years, multiple senior functionaries, particularly those who joined the BJP after quitting other parties, have openly advocated for an alliance. Among them is state BJP president Sunil Jakhar, who has repeatedly pushed for reviving the partnership that existed for nearly three decades before the split in September 2020 owing to the Centre's three controversial farm laws. Jakhar's push for an alliance had gained momentum even before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, but talks fell through after the SAD rejected the BJP's seat-sharing formula as the saffron party was pushing for five seats out of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state. In the erstwhile arrangement, the BJP used to contest on three seats in the Lok Sabha while the rest 10 were with the SAD. In the assembly elections, the BJP used to contest 23 out of the total 117 assembly seats. The Akali Dal is one of BJP's oldest partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Together, the two parties have seen multiple victories in Punjab - mainly the 1997, 2007 and 2012 assembly elections. Despite these public assertions by leaders like Capt and Jakhar, the BJP's national leadership has maintained complete silence. Adding to the complexity, Union minister of state Ravneet Singh Bittu has been against the alliance. He has been bluntly saying that the BJP should not carry the "burden of mistakes" - drug menace and law-and-order issues - of the SAD government in the past. His position has strengthened the faction inside the BJP that believes the party must grow independently without relying on old partnerships. A senior BJP leader revealed that the internal dissent had reached such a high that state co-incharge Narinder Singh Raina had to intervene during a meeting last month, directing the party leaders to refrain from making public statements favouring an alliance. According to insiders, those strongly pushing for a rapprochement with the Akalis are leaders who joined the BJP after quitting Congress or other parties in the last four years. Many grassroots BJP workers and long-time loyalists, however, argue that the party should consolidate its independent identity rather than revive old arrangements. However, there is a sizable group within the party that believes that an alliance is "inevitable" - particularly given Punjab's complex political landscape and the BJP's limited organisational penetration in rural and Panthic-dominated regions. "Moreover, two back-to-back issues - the now rolled back plans of restructuring the Panjab University governing bodies and bringing Chandigarh under Article 240 - have dented the BJP's expansion plans," admitted a former minister who wished not to be quoted. "Even though the BJP has made strong inroads into Sikh strongholds due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's police, the latest controversies regarding Chandigarh and PU have once again brought to fore the fact that the BJP lacks a clear vision for Punjab," the former minister added. Another big question being asked within the BJP is that even if they form an alliance with the Sukhbir Badal-led SAD, what will be the fate of the other faction led by former Akal Takht jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh. Many leaders of this camp are considered close to the BJP rank and file, at least in perception. "Will BJP go for alliance with the Sukhbir faction leaving the other group in lurch," asked a general secretary of the BJP. When contacted, state BJP chief Sunil Jakhar refused to comment on the issue, stating that he has already clarified his stance in the past. The party's state working president Ashwani Sharma could not be reached for comments as his mobile phone remained switched off throughout the day....