Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would form the government in the state after the 2027 Assembly elections has fuelled speculation about a possible alliance, even as state BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon maintained that the party would contest all 117 seats independently.Dhillon said the BJP was fully prepared to enter the electoral fray alone and expressed confidence that it would secure a majority in 2027. His statement came in response to the brief Vidhan Sabha session held on Wednesday, which lasted around 10 minutes.Political circles, however, remained abuzz over the possible contours of an alliance involving the BJP, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) led by Sukhbir Singh Badal and the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit).Sources in the SAD said the party was keen on an alliance, but a 50:50 seat-sharing arrangement would be difficult as the BJP was seeking at least 60 of Punjab’s 117 Assembly constituencies.According to insiders, the BJP’s proposed share could include around 10 seats for SAD (Punar Surjit), whose candidates would contest on the BJP’s lotus symbol. This would leave the Badal-led Akali Dal with approximately 57 seats.Under the earlier alliance arrangement, the SAD contested 94 seats while the BJP fought 23. Giving up nearly a third of its earlier share would therefore represent a significant concession for the Akali Dal.Senior SAD (Punar Surjit) leader Gurpartap Singh Wadala said his party was likely to be registered soon, having submitted the required documents to the Election Commission.SAD sources indicated that an alliance was welcome and could be formally announced soon. The party has authorised president Sukhbir Singh Badal to decide on the alliance and conduct seat-sharing negotiations.However, party spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said no talks had taken place so far and that a decision would be taken accordingly.Wadala said an alliance could materialise only if it included concrete commitments to address state’s longstanding concerns. These included the release of Bandi Sikhs, river-water sharing, Punjabi-speaking areas and the transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab.He said a three-party arrangement could emerge as a significant political force but stressed that it would have to earn public trust by addressing the state’s issues.For now, the BJP’s insistence on contesting independently and the Akalis’ demand for substantive commitments leave the proposed alliance’s final shape uncertain