For the first time since parting ways with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in September 2020, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today batted for a reunion with its former partner saying the “people of Punjab wanted the SAD and the BJP to come together for the sake of peace and harmony in the state”.Making a pro-alliance pitch, SAD general secretary Bikram Singh Majithia cited “successes” of the erstwhile coalition in Punjab and the Centre, and echoed his sister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal’s remarks on the issue.Speaking on the 41st martyrdom anniversary of Harchand Singh Longowal in Sangrur yesterday, Harsimrat had hinted at a possible realignment between the estranged allies.“It is not my remit to speak, so I will stay quiet. You will all come to know by yourselves…. May the alliances and agreements that powered Punjab’s development and progress in the past re-emerge so that your work can be done just as it was done earlier by Delhi. Once more, the foundations of development and progress should be laid in Punjab so that people and the state can benefit,” Harsimrat had said.Majithia today framed his sister’s statement as a “call by the people of Punjab”. “What Harsimrat ji said is what people want. (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee ji and Parkash Singh Badal ji forged a major alliance of brotherhood for the sake of communal harmony and Hindu-Sikh unity in Punjab. The alliance was successful at the Centre and in the state.“We parted ways due to farm laws and that is a fact, but now people, in the wake of Punjab’s border situation, law and order, development and employment scenario, are demanding that we should come together. Whether that happens or not, the leadership of both parties will decide and the future will clarify matters,” Majithia said, amid growing signs of comfort between the two sides even though the BJP officially maintains it will contest all 117 seats in the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.These signs are–PM Narendra Modi meeting SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal in Parliament recently; the SAD shifting stand to back the government’s delimitation and women’s reservation agenda; the PM, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh ringing up Harsimrat to check on the health of her husband Sukhbir after he was attacked in Maharashtra’s Nanded and Harsimrat writing two letters to Shah.In the first letter, she demanded a CBI probe into the alleged paper leaks in Punjab and in the second, she sought an NIA probe into the attack on her husband.While the alliance question looms, the BJP is going ahead with a major Punjab poll strategy, with national general secretary BL Santosh visiting the state from August 23 to 26. Santosh will tour Patiala, Bathinda, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar and meet all district office-bearers shortly after friction marred the latest state unit reorganisation and several senior leaders resigned.This will be Santosh’s first visit to Punjab after BJP chief Nitin Nabin announced his new team, naming Satish Poonia general secretary in-charge of Punjab and Saudan Singh joint general secretary (organisation) for northern states.