The party seeks to rebuild village-level networks as rivals compete for its traditional rural support base.
The Shiromani Akali Dal is taking its campaign for the 2027 Punjab Assembly election back to the villages, seeking to rebuild the grassroots network that once formed the core of its political strength. The party has placed the drug crisis at the centre of its latest mobilisation, but the campaign is also an attempt to reconnect with rural voters through small meetings, women-led gatherings, marches and constituencylevel programmes.
Bathinda MP and SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal launched the ‘MaawanDheeyan Insaaf Yatra’ in Bathinda district, bringing women and families affected by drug addiction into the party’s campaign. The programme involves meetings in villages and marches to government offices, where memorandums are submitted seeking stronger action against drug trafficking and better support for affected families. Harsimrat has sought to make the campaign a movement led by families rather than just a political programme. Addressing women, she said, “The fire scorching lives in your neighbourhood could come to your door. We need to make this a fight between every mother and daughter.”
The SAD has also accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of failing to control the drug problem. The allegations are part of the party’s political campaign and have been rejected by its political opponents. For the Akali Dal, the importance of the campaign goes beyond the drug issue. The party is trying to revive its presence at the booth and village level after suffering a sharp decline in electoral support. The SAD won only three seats in the 2022 Assembly election, its weakest performance in decades.
Its traditional rural support base is now being contested by the AAP, Congress and BJP. The end of the SAD-BJP alliance has further changed the political competition in the state. The party’s rural organisation, however, remains one of its potential strengths. For decades, the Akali Dal built political relationships through village-level workers, farmers’ groups and networks connected with Sikh religious institutions. The current campaign is an attempt to put that machinery back into active use. The drug issue, however, is now being pursued by several political parties. The BJP has launched its own anti-drug campaign in Punjab, while the AAP government and Congress have also made the subject a prominent part of their political messaging. This competition makes the SAD’s task more difficult.
The party cannot depend on the drug issue alone to distinguish itself from its rivals. It has to connect the campaign with wider concerns such as unemployment, agriculture, rural infrastructure and the migration of young people. Political commentator Vineet Kumar, has identified “drugs, religious institutions and dynastic politics” as important issues in Punjab’s evolving political landscape. “An established rural organisation gives the party a foundation, but rebuilding electoral support requires reconnecting with voters whose political preferences have changed,” he said.
The BJP and SAD’s changed relationship has also become visible on the ground. In Lambi, a constituency closely associated with the Badal family, workers of the two parties recently came face-to-face during competing anti-drug programmes. Such incidents illustrate how the political space that was once shared by the alliance partners is now being contested separately. For residents, the response to the SAD’s grassroots approach is more mixed than the size of the gatherings might suggest.
A Bathinda resident, Simran Pal, who has followed the campaign, said the direct interaction was useful because villagers could raise their problems face-to-face with political leaders. But he also stressed that a campaign could not be judged simply by the number of people attending its meetings. “Drugs remain an important concern, but voters are also looking for answers on employment, farming, household expenses and opportunities for young people,” he said.
That is where the SAD faces its biggest challenge. Its ability to mobilise workers in villages is an organisational advantage, but the party must convert that presence into renewed voter confidence. The AAP has already demonstrated that a relatively new political force can penetrate rural Punjab, while Congress and BJP continue to compete for sections of the same electorate. The Akali Dal’s current campaign is therefore both political and organisational. By placing women and affected families at the forefront, the party is attempting to make the drug crisis a vehicle for rebuilding its wider rural network.
