Sukhbir Badal re-elected as Shiromani Akali Dal President amid party revival push

Amritsar: In a decisive move to stabilise and revive the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Sukhbir Singh Badal was re-elected as the party President during a key meeting held at the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) headquarters in Amritsar on Saturday.

The election, held in the historic Teja Singh Samundri Hall — the administrative hub of the SGPC — saw participation from 500 representatives hailing from all 117 Assembly constituencies across Punjab.

Interestingly, Badal’s re-election was sealed without a formal introduction by Working President Balwinder Singh Bhunder, suggesting unanimous support from the party cadre.

Badal’s return marks a significant turnaround following his resignation in November last year, after being declared ‘tankhaiya (guilty of religious misconduct)’ by the Shiromani Akali Dal.

His request for punishment to then Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh was followed by his withdrawal from active leadership and eventual resignation in January.

During this period, senior SAD leader Bhunder oversaw party operations as Acting President.

Badal was first elected as SAD President in December 2008, under the leadership of his father and then Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal. While initially praised for modernising party operations, Sukhbir’s leadership came under fire after SAD suffered major setbacks — particularly the 2017 Assembly defeat and its poor show in the 2022 and 2024 elections.

Despite recent challenges, SAD continues to be rooted in a 105-year-old legacy. Founded on December 14, 1920, with support from the Gurdwara Reform Movement, the party has served as the religious, political, and social voice of the Sikh community. After the implementation of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act in 1925, SAD became actively involved in India’s freedom struggle.

Guided by the ethos “Main Maran Te Panth Jive (Let me die, but let the Panth live)”, the Akali Dal maintained distance from mainstream politics until the 1937 Provincial Elections, where it entered the fray and won 10 seats. During the Partition, it stood firmly against the division of the nation.

–IANS