Sukhbir Singh Badal re-elected As Akali Dal chief; will party join hands with BJP for 2027 polls?

The country’s second-oldest party, the Akali Dal, is starting afresh. After nearly eight months of uncertainty following religious punishment that led to the excommunication of its chief, Sukhbir Singh Badal, from the Sikh faith in August 2024, he has returned as president of the Akali Dal. Badal was reappointed party president on Saturday—the same position he was forced to relinquish in January this year following directions from the supreme Sikh authority.

Badal, 62, will serve as Akali Dal president for the second time. He previously held the post from 2008 until his resignation. He also served as Punjab’s Deputy Chief Minister when his father and Akali patriarch, Parkash Singh Badal, was Chief Minister.

His reinstatement is expected to pave the way for Punjab’s prominent regional party to reorient itself. The Akali Dal not only suffered a humiliating defeat in the previous Assembly and parliamentary elections but was also marred by internal discord. Rebel leaders had been demanding a restructuring of the party leadership, with Badal’s removal at the centre of their demands.

However, the latest decision makes it clear that Badal continues to command considerable support within party ranks.

“I assure you that we will make Punjab the number one state. Our Gurus have taught us to respect all religions. I want to assure people of all faiths that Punjab belongs to everyone. It is our responsibility to bring progress. Akali Dal is the true representative of Punjab,” Badal said following his election.

The Akali Dal was founded to represent Sikh interests, but over the years, it has restructured its politics to reflect the broader concerns of the Punjabi community, including Hindus. Its long-standing alliance with the BJP was severed over the controversial three farm laws. Both parties were among the oldest allies in the NDA, and their partnership was seen as serving the national interest by balancing Sikh and Hindu sentiments in a state that had witnessed decades of militancy and cross-border unrest.

The crisis within the Akali Dal began during its time in government, when multiple incidents of desecration of the holy Guru Granth Sahib were reported. Protests erupted in response, during which several people were killed in police firing.

The Badals paid a heavy political price for those events. They also led to religious punishment for Sukhbir Badal and his council of ministers, who were excommunicated by the Akal Takht, the highest temporal authority in Sikhism.

The charges against the Sikh leaders stem from various actions taken during the Akali government’s ten-year tenure from 2007 onwards. Five key allegations were made, most notably the granting of a pardon to the controversial Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who had been accused of blasphemy for attempting to impersonate the 10th Sikh Guru. Another allegation was that Sukhbir Badal summoned the then Takht Jathedars to his residence to pressure them into granting the pardon. Further charges included the police firing on Sikhs protesting against the sacrilege incidents and the rewarding of officers responsible for the extrajudicial killings of Sikh youths in fake encounters.

The Akal Takht also withdrew the title *Fakhr-e-Quam* (Pride of the Community) previously conferred on the late Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal. The priests stated that the guilty leaders should undergo religious penance, including cleaning the washrooms, utensils, and shoes of devotees, while wearing a plaque around their necks admitting their guilt.

The priests also declared that all Akali leaders should resign, and that a fresh recruitment process should begin to strengthen the party, which was originally founded 104 years ago to protect and represent Sikh interests.

How the Akali Dal manages its affairs in the coming months will be closely watched—not only by rival parties, but also by the global Sikh diaspora. Following the AIADMK’s renewed alliance with the BJP, speculation has been reignited about the possibility of the BJP and Akali Dal coming together again ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections due in 2027.

India