Ahead of the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, the coming together of the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bahujan Samaj Party is significant in more ways than one. Not only does this alliance threaten Aam Aadmi Party's number two status in the state, it also has the potential to pose a strong challenge to CM Amarinder Singh's bid to retain power. The Congress, in the driver's seat at the moment, may have reasons to worry, as the new alliance threatens to eat into its coalition of Dalit, Hindu and Jat Sikh voters