Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) leader Prem Singh Chandumajra quit the rebel faction on Wednesday with plans to return to the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led parent party on November 6.As he announced the decision, the former three-term Lok Sabha MP urged all Akali and Panthic groups to unite on a common platform, adding that a joint struggle was the need of the hour to safeguard the interests of Punjab and the Panth.The anticipated return of Chandumajra to the SAD will pave the way for the homecoming of other rebel Akalis and signals attempts to forge a wider Akali unity.Chandumajra’s decision comes days after he met senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in New Delhi, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Notably, talks of an SAD-BJP alliance for the 2027 Assembly poll have also picked up pace.The Tribune was the first to report that Punar Surjit leaders were part of the BJP-SAD pre-poll alliance talks and formulations were being drafted to see how best to accommodate them in any potential alliance. The group is not registered as a party. With no election symbol of its own, Punar Surjit leaders need to be part of a political party to contest the 2027 polls as non-independents.Sources in Delhi are framing the development as the beginning of a wider Akali and an-NDA unified front in the state. They added that more Punar Surjit leaders could return to SAD in the coming days.Chandumajra, meanwhile, cited differences over the approach and strategy towards achieving Panthic unity to quit the Punar Surjit faction. He also cited the public response given by Giani Harpreet Singh to his appeal for Panthic unity, saying it made him realise that there were differences in their thinking, ideology and working. “In view of the lack of coordination on these issues, I decided to part ways with Akali Dal Punar Surjit,” the former MP added.Before Chandumajra, Surjit Singh Rakhra had quit the Punar Surjit faction and joined the Aam Aadmi Party.