Akali Dal to pick new chief amid challenges to its authority from rebel members

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) faces internal challenges ahead of electing new president, rebels question party's adherence to Akal Takht.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which has been facing a stiff challenge to stay politically relevant in State politics, is all set to elect its new president and office-bearers on Saturday (April 12, 2025). Meanwhile, party rebels continue to assert that by not entirely adhering to the directions of Akal Takht, the party has challenged the authority of the highest Sikh temporal seat.

SAD’s working committee, earlier this week, decided to hold the general delegate session to elect a new president for the party on April 12. It was also decided to hold a political conference on the occasion of ‘Baisakhi’ at Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda district on April 13.

Former MP and rebel SAD leader Prem Singh Chandumajra told The Hindu that the party leadership went ahead with a parallel committee to restructure the organisation instead of the one constituted by the Akal Takht. “With this, they have challenged and undermined the authority of Akal Takht. They have been exposed,” he said.

Rebels have been alleging that Akal Takht’s verdict of December 2, 2024, which awarded religious punishments to former party president Sukhbir Singh Badal and several other Akali Dal leaders for “mistakes” committed by the SAD government from 2007 to 2017, hasn’t been accepted in letter and spirit.

Taking a dig at the rebels, senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema alleged on Thursday that desperate attempts were being made to prevent the party from coming back into the political field.

Mr. Cheema had said earlier that the rebel group had aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and even the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to damage the SAD. “Now they have even joined hands with the Congress. A Congress leader has urged the Election Commission to suspend the organisational elections of the SAD. He has been approached by rebels to file a complaint with the Election Commission as part of a conspiracy. While it exposes the rebel group thoroughly, it also makes it clear that all the parties in the fray are afraid of the SAD,” he said at a press conference.

The SAD had always held that the rebel group was trying to link the party’s membership drive to religion and get it recognised, Mr. Cheema said, adding that the “the linkup between the rebel group and Congress leader has proved this”.