Ludhiana, July 25 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will go solo in the 2027 Punjab assembly elections, Punjab unit's working president Ashwani Sharma said here on Thursday, categorically ruling out any alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Addressing a gathering of party workers at Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan on Thursday, Sharma said: "The people of Punjab have now realised that they need the BJP, and the BJP needs Punjab. The party is preparing for (fighting) all 117 Assembly seats." He pointed out that the party contested the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls solo. Sharma's statement comes in the backdrop of Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar making a strong pitch for restitching the alliance with the Akali Dal, claiming it to be the need of the hour. The newly appointed working president said that the alliance with SAD was once a political necessity to strengthen the party's social base in the state, but not anymore. "You will say the BJP had an alliance with the Akali Dal. We had entered into an alliance in the interest of Punjab because at that time, the state had come out of militancy. At that time, there was a strong need to promote communal harmony in the state, and the BJP made significant sacrifices in the interest of Punjab's peace and unity. The BJP, being a junior partner, suffered significantly in that arrangement. That phase is over. We are now ready to contest from a position of strength," Sharma said, who is a legislator from Pathankot assembly constituency. The SAD had been part of the NDA since 1996 before it snapped ties with it in September 2020, feeling pressure from the farmers' community that was protesting against (now repealed) three farm laws. The BJP, at that time, had termed it as a step taken in haste. Since then, SAD's political fortunes have been on a downward slide, while the saffron party, having gone solo in the 2022 state and 2024 Lok Sabha polls, also failed to make a significant mark. While the SAD faced a drubbing in the assembly polls, winning just three seats, the BJP bagged two. In parliamentary polls, SAD could only win the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat, while the BJP failed to open its account. As per the pact between the two parties, the BJP used to contest 23 seats and the SAD 94 assembly seats. In parliamentary elections, SAD used to fight 10 seats and the BJP three. The SAD-BJP combine formed the government in the state thrice (1997-2002, 2007-12 and 2012-17). "The public is disillusioned with the current state government. AAP will not return to power in Punjab," Sharma asserted, calling the BJP the only viable alternative left for the people of the state. He further added that rival political parties launched a misinformation campaign in rural areas, attempting to turn people against the BJP by spreading false narratives. "However, the situation has now changed. The people of Punjab have seen through the propaganda and come to realise that only the BJP is truly committed to the welfare and progress of both Punjab and its people," he said, urging the party workers and office-bearers to gear up for a determined campaign ahead of 2027, stressing the need for grassroots mobilisation to achieve the party's goals. Sharma also launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab over the land pooling policy. "The BJP stands firmly with the farmers of Punjab and will not allow their land to be taken away under this policy," he said. Earlier, making a fervent appeal for the alliance, Jakhar had said: "The alliance is necessary as forces inimical to the interest of the state are once again active. So both parties must bury the hatchet for the state's sake." AAP was quick to slam both SAD and BJP over 're-alliance buzz'. "Both parties are desperately trying to forge an alliance to return to power in the state," Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said....