Punjab: Sukhbir elected Akali Dal president for 4th time

Sukhbir Singh Badal was re-elected the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president unanimously during the delegate meeting of the party, held at Teja Singh Samundri Hall, the headquarters of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), at the Golden Temple complex on Saturday.

This is the fourth time that the 62-year-old former deputy chief minister has been elected to the post, amid the ongoing turmoil in the 104-year-old party, which is facing an existential crisis and revolt by a considerable section of the senior party leader over the leadership of the Sukhbir Badal.

He was first elected as the party president in 2008 and at 45, was the youngest person to occupy the post. Sukhbir, the son of late party patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, was the only candidate for the post of party president.

He resigned from the post on November 16 last year after being declared a tankhaiya (guilty of religious misconduct) by the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, for the mistakes of the party and its government from 2007 to 2017. His resignation was accepted on January 10 this year by the working committee of the party. Sukhbir also survived an assassination attempt by a former Khalistani terrorist at Amritsar’s Golden Temple while performing sewa (service) as penance in December last year.

Sukhbir’s name for Saturday’s elections was proposed by outgoing working president Balwinder Singh Bhundar and was endorsed by Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Paramjit Singh Sarna.

The delegates gave their consent by raising their hands amid chanting of slogans ‘Sat Sri Akal’, following which party chief election officer Gulzar Singh Ranike declared Sukhbir, as the new president of the party.

There were 507 delegates, as per the party leaders and they also authorised the president to constitute the party’s new working committee.

Addressing the delegates after his election, Sukhbir said, “I give you my solemn commitment that I will never compromise on any issue which concerns the prestige of the Khalsa Panth, Punjab and the SAD”.

Later, Sukhbir paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and the Akal Takht. He was also felicitated by newly appointed acting jathedar of Akal Takht and jathedar of Takht Kesgarh Sahib Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj at the Takht secretariat with siropas (robe of honour). SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami skipped the meeting. However, he congratulated Sukhbir in a statement.

Giving a clarion call to the delegates to prepare for bringing the SAD back into power in 2027, Badal said: “Once our workers decide to bring the SAD to power it will come about. I on my part assure you that the next SAD government will preside over the eradication of the gangster culture and drug mafia which is being patronised by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government”.

He also announced that the SAD was committed to all-round development. “We will bring back industry in the state. We will ensure all sections of society be it farmers or the weaker sections get their due. I am committed to making Punjab the number one State in the country,” he said.

The new president also thanked outgoing working president Balwinder Singh Bhundar for his contribution to the party during a critical juncture.

The SAD’s present crisis started on December 2 last year, when Sikh clergy led by then Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh in a hukamnama (Sikh decree), called for a revamp of the party and election of office-bearers within six months. The Takht also constituted a seven-member committee to supervise the party reorganisation process and also directed the party’s working committee to accept the resignation of the party leaders including Sukhbir.

SAD accepted Sukbir’s resignation on January 10 this year but resisted accepting the decree in totality. The Sukhbir camp cited legalities in complying with the 7-member panel which also comprised representatives of the rebel group, and went ahead with a membership drive under the party working committee.

It was termed as a violation of the 7-member panel directive of the December 2 decree by the rebels. Later SGPC chief Dhami and former chief Kirpal Singh Badungar quit the panel, while the remaining five members initiated a parallel recruitment of the party, which is still going on.

Party urges Takht to review decision on senior Badal

Several resolutions were also passed during the meeting, including a condolence resolution in which tributes were paid to former party patriarch and five-time CM Parkash Singh Badal, besides urging the Akal Takht to review its December 2 decision to revoke Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum conferred on him.

Sukhbir also announced that the ‘barsi’ (death anniversary) of his father Parkash Singh Badal would be commemorated in Lambi on April 25.

Faces challenges of reviving party fortunes, tackling dissent

The 104-year-old SAD has been facing a crisis with its political fortunes dwindling over the past several years under Sukhbir’s leadership post the 2015 sacrilege incidents with the party blamed for its failure to punish the culprits and later pardoning Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a 2007 blasphemy case.

In 2007, SAD formed the government in alliance with the BJP and retained power in 2012. But in 2017, Congress wrested power. The Akali Dal’s tally was reduced to 15 and Aam Aadmi Party became the main opposition.

The party suffered its worst defeat in Punjab in 2022, winning only three seats out of 117.

The Sukhbir-led SAD faced another drubbing in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as it managed to win only the Bathinda parliamentary constituency out of a total of 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. The SAD also saw a drop in its vote share from 27.45 per cent in 2019 to 13.42 per cent in 2024 polls.