Amritsar: Sukhbir Singh Badal was on Saturday unanimously re-elected as the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), marking his return to the top post of the party after stepping down four months ago in the wake of religious censure from the Akal Takht.

The 62-year-old leader, who first took over the party’s reins in 2008 as its youngest president, was declared elected unopposed during the SAD’s general delegate session held at the Teja Singh Samundari Hall in the Sri Darbar Sahib complex, Amritsar. His name was proposed by senior leader and working president Balwinder Singh Bhundar and seconded by Paramjit Singh Sarna and Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal.

Badal's unchallenged re-election comes at a time when the 104-year-old party is navigating a deep political crisis, struggling with poor electoral performances, a falling vote share and internal rebellion. Reviving the party’s fortunes and restoring unity within its ranks are seen as his immediate challenges.

Addressing party workers after his re-election, Badal said, “I thank all for entrusting me with this responsibility. I promise the people that Punjab will again be turned into a number one state.”
The event saw the presence of several key party figures, including his wife and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia and Daljit Singh Cheema.

Badal had stepped down from the post on November 16, 2024, after being held 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct) by the Akal Takht for the party’s “mistakes” during its 2007–2017 rule. In December last year, while performing sewa as religious penance at the Golden Temple, he survived an assassination attempt by a former Khalistani militant.

The Akal Takht had directed SAD to remove Badal from the leadership role and conduct fresh internal elections under a newly appointed panel. However, the party proceeded with its own organisational process, which drew criticism from dissident leaders who accused the leadership of defying the Akal Takht’s edicts.

The controversy deepened after the removal of three Jathedars—Giani Raghbir Singh (Akal Takht), Giani Sultan Singh (Takht Kesgarh Sahib) and Giani Harpreet Singh (Takht Damdama Sahib)—by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which is seen to be closely aligned with SAD. The dismissed Jathedars were among the Sikh clergy who had announced religious punishment against Badal and others.

Meanwhile, a rival faction led by rebel leaders, including Gurpartap Singh Wadala and SAD MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali, launched a parallel membership drive for the party on March 18, challenging the legitimacy of the official organisational process.

Once considered a dominant force in Punjab politics, the SAD has been on a steady decline under Badal's leadership. After back-to-back victories in 2007 and 2012 in alliance with the BJP, the party saw a sharp downturn. It was reduced to 15 seats in the 2017
Assembly elections and in 2022, it managed to win just three out of 117 seats as the Aam Aadmi Party stormed to power. The party also ended its decades-old alliance with the BJP in 2020 over the now-repealed farm laws.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the SAD won only one seat—Bathinda—while its vote share dropped drastically from 27.45% in 2019 to 13.42%.

The crisis deepened further with open dissent from within the ranks post the Lok Sabha debacle. Several leaders demanded the implementation of the recommendations of the Iqbal Singh Jhundan committee, formed to assess the party’s disastrous performance in the 2022 Assembly elections, including a leadership overhaul.

Despite the prevailing discontent, the party has launched a fresh campaign branding Badal as 'Vikas Pursh' (development man) in a bid to project a renewed leadership vision.

PTI