Sukhbir likely to become SAD chief again
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is set to re-elect former party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal as its president during the organisational poll on Saturday unless he opts out.
Party insiders revealed that Sukhbir was both the “favourite” and “the only candidate” for the post. The elections, scheduled in Amritsar, follow the conclusion of a three-month-long membership drive. Sources say alongside Sukhbir, senior leader Balwinder Singh Bhunder\B \Bis likely to be named the party’s patron.
The post of secretary general, however, has multiple contenders. Among the frontrunners are Daljit Singh Cheema and Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal.
The sources said an alternative president would only emerge if Sukhbir declines the role.
Sukhbir resigned from his post of the SAD president on November 16, 2024, after being declared ‘tankhaiya’ (guilty of religious misconduct) by the Akal Takht.
A significant challenge stems from the December 2, 2025, directive by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, which deemed the current SAD leadership, including Sukhbir, unfit to lead the party.
Subsequently, Giani Raghbir Singh was removed from the post by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and replaced by Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargaj.
SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said the Akal leadership, including Sukhbir, had already undergone religious punishment as per the Akal Takht’s orders. “When one undergoes religious punishment, one is purified, and past incidents are considered resolved,” he said.
However, historian and Akali politics expert Jagtar Singh maintained that the Akal Takht’s directive still stood. “The Akal Takht had instructed the party to elect a new leader, as the current leadership was deemed unfit,” he said.
A senior leader supporting Sukhbir’s candidacy remarked, “Wins and losses are part of politics. He led the party to many victories, and it was unfair and selfish for some leaders to abandon him during tough times.”
Another influential leader highlighted Sukhbir’s commitment, noting that he appeared before the Panth and underwent ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment). “He is making a fresh start and is the only leader capable of steering the party towards growth and progress. The cadre is rallying behind him, especially after he narrowly survived a murderous attack outside the Golden Temple while undergoing tankhah,” he said.
Sukhbir was first elected as the party president in December 2008, during his father Parkash Singh Badal’s tenure as Chief Minister. He was lauded as a leader of the future for introducing a corporate-like political culture within the party. However, dissent grew as the party faced consecutive electoral defeats, starting with the 2017 Assembly elections.
After ruling Punjab from 2007 to 2017, the SAD was reduced to just three MLAs in the 2022 Assembly elections and one MP in the 2024 Lok Sabha poll.
The election, which will be held at Teja Singh Samundari Hall in Amritsar on Saturday, is expected to mark a new chapter in Punjab’s politics, particularly within the Panth. Hardliners, including Khadoor Sahib MP and Khalistan activist Amritpal Singh, have already announced plans to float a new Akali Dal.
Meanwhile, the path forward for SAD rebels, who had earlier formed an Akal Dal reform committee, remains uncertain. The sources suggested they might either claim to be the “real Akalis” to lead the SAD or establish a new political outfit.
Punjab