India, March 14 -- Ending speculation over a patch-up with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday declared that the Bharatiya Janata Party will contest the 2027 Punjab assembly elections alone. Asserting that the BJP is done playing the "Chhota Bhai" (younger brother) in the state, Shah launched a high-decibel campaign from the politically vital Malwa belt, promising a double-engine government to rescue Punjab from drugs and debt.

Addressing the Badlaav Rally at Killi Chahlan in Moga, Shah made it clear that the era of the BJP playing second fiddle in Punjab is over. "Whenever we came before you in the past, we were the junior partner. But from today, the BJP begins its campaign to form its own governmen...