NEW DELHI, March 27 -- After days of parleys with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the BJP on Tuesday announced that it will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on its own in Punjab, with the announcement coming amid 'hints' from its ex-ally SAD that the latter could go solo in the border State.

With this development, the border State will see a four-cornered contest in the general elections. Punjab is the latest State after the BJP and Naveen Patnaik-led BJD alliance did not work out despite days of deliberations and both announced to go solo in Odisha.

The BJD last month had supported the Rajya Sabha candidature of Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Both the SAD and the BJD were the natural ally of the BJP since year until SAD broke rank...