Even as talks over a possible alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) are yet to reach a final conclusion, former MP and Punar Surjit’s Ajnala constituency coordinator Rattan Singh Ajnala has claimed that an alliance between the BJP and the Akali Dal is almost final and that he would contest the election.He made the claim during a press conference in Ajnala, where a BJP banner placed behind him drew attention and added fuel to speculation about a possible political rearrangement.Taking a flexible position on the issue of the alliance and the election symbol, Dr Ajnala said he would contest the next Assembly election from the Ajnala constituency, irrespective of whether he had to contest on the BJP’s lotus symbol or the Akali Dal’s scales symbol.He further said that after an alliance between the BJP and the Akali Dal, whichever party was allotted the Ajnala seat would contest the election, and he would be the candidate from the constituency.His claims have further complicated the political equation in Ajnala, where multiple claimants are already in the field. His son, Bonny Ajnala, had left the Shiromani Akali Dal some time ago and joined the BJP.Dr Rattan Singh Ajnala, meanwhile, joined the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) last year. On the other side, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) has appointed Jodh Singh Samra, a close associate of senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia, as its in-charge for the Ajnala constituency. Samra is considered a strong contender for the party ticket from the seat.The possibility of an alliance between the BJP, SAD (Badal) and SAD (Punar Surjit) has therefore raised questions over the political future of both Bonny Ajnala and Jodh Singh Samra. The seat-sharing arrangement and the choice of candidate could become a sensitive issue if the alliance materialises.Dr Ajnala, however, sought to project unity within the family, claiming that his son Bonny would campaign with him during the election. His statement could potentially bring the father-son duo together politically despite Bonny’s association with the BJP and Dr Ajnala’s alignment with the SAD (Punar Surjit).On Samra’s claim to the Ajnala seat, he said even if the alliance decided to give the ticket to Samra, the alliance candidate would be supported and made to win with a substantial margin.