Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) is part of potential talks for a pre-poll alliance with the BJP amid signals of the Sukhbir Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) being equally engaged.The Tribune has learnt reliably that senior Punar Surjit faction leaders were engaged with the saffron party on the possibilities of contesting the 2027 Assembly polls and conversations were underway to see how best to achieve the goal.The faction had split from the SAD in August 2025, accusing president Sukhbir Singh Badal of disregarding Akal Takht’s December 2, 2024, directives for comprehensive structural reforms in the party. The breakaway faction continues to hold its old position with discussions currently being held on solutions that could bring the two factions back together.Top sources told The Tribune that one of the proposals on the table was for both the factions to become part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. “That proposal is easier to execute,” a senior leader of the Punar Surjit faction said. The leader added that Punar Surjit leaders have met with Punjab BJP in-charge Satish Poonia, but not BJP’s Punjab election in-charge CR Patil yet.Asked if their party and the Sukhbir-led Akali Dal could reunite, the senior leader said, “If Sukhbir Badal were to honour the Akal Takht directions, there was no problem. But as part of the NDA, the two factions can work together. After all, Nitish Kumar and Chirag Paswan, who represent two different parties in Bihar are both part of the BJP-led NDA. That is a more workable option. It is still early days and discussions are on.”Prominent Punar Surjit leaders Bibi Jagir Kaur, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Gobind Singh Longowal and others were with Sukhbir in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when the SAD was ahead of the BJP on nearly 49 assembly segments. The BJP led the Akalis on most of the rest.During the ongoing alliance talks, the factor of 10 Akali Dal stalwarts having deserted Sukhbir after the Lok Sabha polls is sure to figure.Besides the above-mentioned leaders, other influential veterans who dissociated with Sukhbir are Justice Nirmal Singh, Harmeet Singh Sandhu, Iqbal Singh Jhundan, Manpreet Singh Ayali (now with the Waris Punjab De), Hardeep Singh Dhillon, Guriqbal Singh Mahal and Sukhwinder Sukhi.“Of the 49 assembly segments in which the SAD was ahead of the BJP in 2024, candidates from 10 have since left. These factors will be on the table when seat sharing arrangements are discussed,” said a BJP source.While the BJP is mainly flagging the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as the basis for any talks, the SAD wants the average outcomes of the last three elections — the 2022 Assembly, 2024 Lok Sabha and rural and urban local bodies — to be factored.In the 2022 polls, the SAD had fared better than the BJP, while the latter had bettered the former by many miles in 2024. But both parties are conscious of the logic behind a possible an SAD-BJP pre-poll alliance. “This logic stems from a combined 31 per cent vote share in the 2024 general elections in Punjab. The BJP had garnered 18.5 per cent and the SAD 13.5%,” said sources.Officially, the BJP on Saturday again insisted that it would contest all 117 seats in the state and had been told by national general secretary BL Santhosh to prepare. Privately, however, several sources said alliance equations were being actively explored.