NEW DELHI: Sukhbir Singh Badal has stepped down as the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday, marking the end of his tenure as the party’s leader.
The resignation was confirmed by senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema, who announced the development on X. In his post, Cheema said, “The SAD President S. Sukhbir Singh Badal submitted his resignation to the working committee of the party today to pave the way for the election of a new President. He thanked all the party leaders and workers for expressing confidence in his leadership and extending wholehearted support and cooperation throughout his tenure.”
SAD leader Cheema also added, “SAD is a democratic party and according to the party’s constitution there are elections for the post of president after every 5 years. Our last election was held on 14th December 2019. Next month, we are going to complete 5 years on 14th December. So, it is a democratic process that the President has just resigned. On 18th November, we have a meeting of the working committee with the party head. It will consider the resignation and will also release the detailed program of the election…Anyone can contest the election, the final decision has to be taken in the house, whoever has the majority is selected as the president.”
Earlier in August, the Akal Takht had declared Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal as “tankhaiya”—a term signifying guilt of religious misconduct. The declaration was made in connection with alleged “mistakes” committed during his party’s tenure in government between 2007 and 2017.
In July, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) dissolved its core committee after a meeting in Chandigarh. Party leader Daljit Singh Cheema announced on X that the core committee would be reorganised soon.
“The Working Committee of the party has authorized SAD President S. Sukhbir Singh Badal to reorganize the party structure. In this context, the party president discussed the matter in detail with senior colleagues during a meeting in Chandigarh. It was decided to dissolve the Core Committee of the party, which will be reconstituted shortly. The meeting also addressed four upcoming bye-elections,” Cheema said.
He added, “Those present at the meeting included S. Harjinder S. Dhami, S. Balwinder S. Bhundar, S. Mahesh Inder S. Grewal, Dr. Daljit S. Cheema, S. Paramjit S. Sarna, S. Iqbal S. Jhoonda, and Harcharan S. Bains.”
This decision came after internal dissent within the party. Several leaders, including Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Bibi Jagir Kaur, had recently revolted against Sukhbir Singh Badal’s leadership, citing dissatisfaction after the party’s poor performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections. A faction of SAD leaders convened in Jalandhar, demanding Badal’s resignation. However, other prominent leaders have reaffirmed their support for Badal.
According to Bibi Jagir Kaur, a former president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), efforts to discuss issues with Badal were met with resistance. Despite the dissent, the SAD Working Committee declared its full support for Sukhbir Singh Badal, dismissing the revolt as detrimental to the party’s unity.
In a statement on X, the party said, “The Shiromani Akali Dal Working Committee reposes complete faith in the leadership of party president S. Sukhbir Singh Badal and urges detractors not to play into the hands of enemies of the Panth. The committee calls on the president to lead efforts to expose conspiracies against the party, the Panth, and Punjab.”
Former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra said, “We were demanding his resignation as SAD has weakened under his presidentship… Our youths are in jail, farming isn’t doing well and our part of Chandigarh is being given to Haryana. Punjab is in a bad state now and the people here want any regional party like Akali Dal to strengthen. Today, after his resignation, a way has opened to integrate the power of Akali Dal.”
Responding to the developments, SAD MP and Sukhbir Badal’s wife, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, asserted, “The entire Shiromani Akali Dal stands united behind Sukhbir Badal. Certain BJP stooges are trying to break the SAD, just as they did in Maharashtra.”