With the Punjab Assembly elections just months away, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday, reigniting speculation about a possible electoral alliance between the SAD and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).Neither the BJP nor the SAD has issued an official statement on the meeting. Leaders accompanying Sukhbir maintained that it was an informal meeting, and no details of the discussions were disclosed.The meeting assumes significance as both parties prepare for the upcoming Assembly elections amid shifting political equations in Punjab.The SAD and BJP were alliance partners for more than two decades and jointly governed Punjab for three terms—from 1997 to 2002, 2007 to 2012, and 2012 to 2017.Their 23-year alliance officially ended in September 2020 following differences over the Centre’s three farm laws.Relations between the two parties deteriorated during the farmers’ agitation, with the SAD initially supporting the farm legislation before opposing it and demanding its repeal. The Akali Dal subsequently walked out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and both parties contested the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections separately, suffering heavy electoral losses.The latest meeting comes at a time when both parties are grappling with internal challenges.The Punjab BJP has witnessed differences among senior leaders, with veterans such as former minister Tikshan Sud openly expressing dissatisfaction with the current state leadership.The SAD, too, has been dealing with organisational challenges and factionalism. Several senior leaders have floated the SAD Punar Surjit faction, while Akali Dal Waris Punjab De, led by Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali, has been working to expand its influence, particularly in rural Punjab.A party insider said the current political situation could work in favour of an alliance.”With infighting among the Congress, both SAD and BJP, if they form an alliance, they have the best chance to win the Assembly elections,” the insider said.Although there has been no official indication that alliance talks are underway, Sukhbir Badal’s meeting with Prime Minister Modi has fuelled fresh political speculation over whether the former allies could come together again ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections.