Abstract
Since 1984, the Indian state of Punjab has become synonymous with political disorder, violence, and counter‐insurgency. The February 1997 election of a popular state government coalition made up of the Akali Dal (Badal), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) marks a radical development in the ‘Punjab problem’. As well as providing a popular mandate for the former, a moderate Sikh political party, the elections have created a model for the regional expansion of the Hindu nationalist BJP. Although their alliance initially was tactical and continues to be fraught with tensions, it has significant strategic value for both the Akali Dal (Badal) and the BJP, especially in the latter's policies towards the minorities and its quest to form a stable government at the national level.
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