Chandigarh: Punjab’s political parties may still be debating whether the old Akali Dal-BJP alliance has a future. At Panjab University, an echo of that partnership has already resurfaced.A day before the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) elections, the Student Organisation of India (SOI), affiliated with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Sunday announced an alliance with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), backing its presidential candidate, Ankit Bidhan.The announcement came from the Panjab University gurdwara, a venue that added symbolism to an alliance SOI said was forged for student welfare, campus unity and development, above political differences.The timing is difficult to ignore. The SAD and BJP ended their 23-year alliance in 2020 over the farm laws. Six years later, speculation about a possible reunion ahead of the 2027 Punjab assembly elections has returned to the political conversation, with reports of talks and back-channel engagement continuing despite mixed public signals from both sides.At PU, however, SOI and ABVP have already found common ground.The two organisations have shared electoral space before. The last confirmed SOI-ABVP alliance in PUCSC polls came in 2016, when they were part of a broader front that also included the Indian National Students Organisation (INSO) and HPSO. The alliance fielded Piyush Anand for president and finished second.The INSO factor made that coalition an even more interesting political convergence. Associated with the Chautala family, INSO brought into the alliance a formation linked to a family that has long shared close political and personal ties with the Badals.SOI’s move this year follows the rejection of its candidate’s nomination, leaving the organisation out of the direct contest. Rather than remain on the sidelines, it has chosen to throw its weight behind ABVP.In a statement, SOI said the alliance was aimed at the “welfare of students and betterment of the student community” and projected it as an example of Sikh-Hindu unity. It argued that campus politics should be driven by issues, development and constructive representation rather than sentiments that divide students.For SOI, the move also marks a return to the electoral conversation after its last PUCSC presidential victory in 2019, when Chetan Chaudhary won the top post.ABVP, meanwhile, has already secured unconditional support from HIMSA and ISA, making SOI’s backing another significant addition to its election-eve arithmetic.Whether that arithmetic translates into votes will be known Monday. But the symbolism arrived a day early: while Punjab continues to debate whether the old alliance can return, its echoes are already being heard at PU.THE ALLIANCE CONNECT1997-2020: SAD and BJP remain long-standing allies before the Akali Dal snaps ties over the farm laws.2016: SOI, ABVP, INSO and HPSO come together for the PUCSC polls. The alliance fields Piyush Anand for president and finishes second.INSO factor: The Chautala-linked organisation’s presence added another dimension, given the long-standing ties between the Badal and Chautala families.2026: SOI and ABVP come together again, with SOI backing ABVP presidential candidate Ankit Bidhan after being left out of the direct contest.Other support: HIMSA and ISA have also extended unconditional support to ABVP
