CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), one of the oldest political parties in India and once a formidable force in Punjab, is now facing its worst-ever crisis. Infighting, growing religious controversies, large-scale desertions, and a leadership crisis have brought the party to the brink, posing an uphill task for Sukhbir Singh Badal to put the house in order ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Reeling from back-to-back electoral defeats in 2017 and 2022, the SAD is in turmoil. Even the death of SAD patriarch and five-time chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has added to the woes, leading to the exodus of Badal loyalists. The loss of his towering leadership has deepened the fissures within the party, with growing questions about Sukhbir Badal’s ability to lead.
The SAD faces challenges due to the mass exodus of loyalists, internal rebellions, and the emergence of new Panthic players, which may weaken the party’s grip on its traditional vote bank.
The latest flashpoint in the SAD crisis is the open rebellion by senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia, the brother-in-law of Sukhbir Badal. Majithia publicly condemned the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’s (SGPC) controversial decision to remove key Jathedars—Giani Raghbir Singh and Giani Sultan Singh—further widening cracks within the party’s top ranks.
The ousted Jathedars had previously declared Sukhbir Badal ‘Tankhaiya’ (guilty of religious misconduct) and revoked the ‘Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Quam’ title awarded to Parkash Singh Badal. Many Sikh groups, both in India and abroad, have condemned this move, viewing it as an attempt by SAD to manipulate Sikh institutions for political gain.
In a statement signed by party general secretary Bikram Majithia, Sarabjot Singh Sabi (Constituency In-charge, Mukerian), Ramandeep Singh Sandhu (District President, Gurdaspur), Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal, Jodh Singh Samra (Constituency In-charge, Ajnala), and Simranjit Singh Dhillon (Youth Leader, SAD), the leaders expressed their disagreement with the decision made by the SGPC interim committee.
This evoked a sharp response from SAD’s working president Balwinder Singh Bhunder, who accused Majithia of betraying the party.
“Sukhbir Badal stood by Majithia during his toughest times. Instead of standing strong with the Akali Dal, he has stabbed the party in the back,” Bhunder remarked, urging Majithia to join the fight against conspiracies rather than becoming part of them.
The growing differences have drawn battle lines in Majha, once considered the stronghold of the Akali Dal and the epicentre of Panthic politics in Punjab. The party now has two factions in Majha—one backing Majithia and the other rallying behind Sukhbir Badal and controversial leader Sucha Singh Langah.
The biggest challenge for SAD is finding a leader equal to Parkash Singh Badal, who served as chief minister of the state for nearly 19 years (1970-2017). SAD’s decline in electoral fortunes began with Parkash Singh Badal’s declining health. The party’s vote share plummeted from 41.91% in 2012 to 30.06% in 2017 and to 18.38% in 2022, with its seat count shrinking from 68 to 18 to just three.
Political observers attribute this decline to the SAD’s breakup with the BJP in 2020 over the farm laws issue, which left the party isolated and politically vulnerable, especially in Hindu-dominated urban areas where the BJP had influence. The desertions of Badal loyalists, who cited Sukhbir’s leadership as a major reason, also contributed to the party’s downfall. Despite attempts to reorganise, including the formation of a seven-member interim committee last year, the party has failed to hold itself together after key members of the committee resigned under alleged pressure from the Badal family.
The party was already facing criticism over the 2015 sacrilege incidents, and the removal of the Jathedars has only worsened the situation for SAD, further raising questions about its credibility. This has drawn sharp criticism from Sikh organisations abroad in the US and Canada, who view it as an attack on the independence of Sikh religious bodies.
Adding to SAD’s woes, a new Panthic front is emerging in Punjab’s political landscape. Jailed Lok Sabha MP Amritpal Singh, a pro-Khalistan preacher, has launched his own party, Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), to challenge SAD’s dominance over the Panthic vote bank in the state. While Amritpal remains in jail, his aides are already working on the ground, focusing on Sikh religious and political issues, and targeting SAD’s base. The fragmentation of the Panthic vote could spell disaster for Sukhbir Badal’s ambitions to revive the party in 2027.
In another sign of internal strife, SAD’s IT wing, once controlled by Majithia, has turned against him. The party’s social media team was reportedly campaigning against Majithia, launching a coordinated attack on his leadership.
The impact of the turmoil in Punjab is also being felt in Haryana, where SAD is facing a rebellion as several senior leaders have resigned in protest over the removal of the Jathedars.
Meanwhile, a section of SAD leadership is working on damage control to counter the growing crisis. The party’s spokesperson and senior leader Daljit Singh Cheema, in repeated posts on X, claimed that the party leaders were working to resolve religious matters in the state peacefully. He accused the Punjab government of instigating people to fight and wrote to the Punjab Chief Secretary demanding a judicial probe into the actions of information and public relations officers in three districts for allegedly spreading statements to “inflame passions and force clashes” over the recent Takht Kesgarh Sahib controversy.
Cheema also blamed the AAP government for interfering in Sikh religious matters, alleging that it deliberately incited tensions among Sikh groups. SAD defended the early morning installation of Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj as Jathedar of Takht Kesgarh Sahib, arguing that it was necessary to prevent further disruptions.