The induction of three former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders – Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, Chetan Singh Jouramajra – into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has complicated the prospects of an alliance with the Akalis.The new entrants do not immediately fit into the arithmetic of any potential seat-sharing arrangement between the two parties.While leaders in both the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) maintain that any decision on an alliance rests with the senior leadership, they admitted political signals emerging on the ground appeared mixed and, at times, confusing.The case of former Amritsar North MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh is particularly striking. One of the fiercest critics of the SAD, Kunwar repeatedly questioned the role of senior Akali leaders, including former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, in the aftermath of the sacrilege incidents. As an IG with the Punjab Police, he led the investigation into the police firing incidents on sacrilege cases, though the Punjab and Haryana High Court later did not accept the investigation and made adverse observations on the probe.After entering politics, Kunwar continued to champion the sacrilege issue, frequently visiting Faridkot and interacting with families affected by the police firing while expressing dissatisfaction over the progress of the sacrilege investigations. He had also defeated senior Akali leader Anil Joshi from Amritsar North in the 2022 Assembly elections. Joshi later joined the Congress party.Pathanmajra and Jouramajra, sitting Sanaur and Samana MLAs, face similarly precarious prospects. The Akali Dal has already announced Jagmeet Hariau as its candidate from Samana. Meanwhile, SAD sources said Sanaur was widely understood within the party to have been left for the Chandumajra family. Though Prem Singh Chandumajra is with the Akali Dal – Punar Surjit, he recently supported the unity call given by SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal. Sources said the SAD has kept the Sanaur seat aside for his son.Against this backdrop, the entry of leaders with established bases in these constituencies has fuelled speculation over whether the BJP intended to field them in their traditional constituencies and how tge move would fit into any future alliance framework.A senior BJP leader, requesting anonymity, said joining the party did not automatically translate into a ticket. “There are several responsibilities in the party apart from contesting elections. A person joining the BJP should not be viewed only through the prism of candidature,” he said.The leader maintained that the BJP was preparing to contest all 117 Assembly seats on its own, or the maximum number possible in the event of an alliance with the SAD and the Akali Dal-Punar Surjit.Akali Dal sources, meanwhile, said they were confident of a reunion with the Punar Surjit faction. However, they maintained that any alliance with the BJP, if it materialised, would eventually have to be guided by the winnability of candidates and ground realities in individual constituencies.“Seat adjustment is one thing, but the suitability and electability of candidates will also have to be taken into account,” an Akali leader said.