Buffeted by poll debacles, Akali rebels’ campaign, Sukhbir Badal kickstarts party rejig, goes for broke

Besieged by such challenges within the Akali Dal and outside, Sukhbir on Tuesday dissolved the party’s core committee, its highest decision-making body, in an apparent bid to start restructuring the organisation.

“There were around 25 members in the core committee, of which 8 are in the rebel faction now. Hence there was all the more need to dissolve it. The rebels have been issuing statements against the party leadership after holding meetings separately. So, how can they continue to be part of this committee,” a senior SAD leader told The Indian Express.

The Akali rebels, who were members of the party core committee, include Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Gurpartap Wadala, Sikander Singh Maluka, former SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur, Parkash Chand Garg, Prem Singh Chandumajra and Surjit Singh Rakhra.

The gravity of the crisis could be gauged from the fact that this is the first time in over four decades that the Akali Dal’s core panel has been dissolved, although the party has been revamped multiple times.

“The Akali Dal is in a crisis and hence, some tough calls need to be taken. Following the party’s debacle in the 2022 Assembly polls, a committee led by Iqbal Singh Jhundan had been formed to review its performance and recommend a roadmap for recovery. The Jhundan panel visited several constituencies and suggested changes. While Sukhbir continued as the party president, the party was reorganised. But just in two years the party needs another restructuring now. It is high time the party leadership listen to the public mandate and the voices of the ground-level workers,” a senior SAD leader said.

Jhundan is also part of the SAD’s working committee that held a meeting Tuesday to “authorise” Sukhbir to dissolve the core panel.

“Let the party be reorganised from the top, given that the core committee is the top-most unit in the party’s organisational structure. The remaining party units at the district and block levels etc will be restructured in phases,” Jhundan said.

The rebel SAD leader and Akali Dal Sudhar Lehar convener, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, however, slammed Sukhbir over the move. “Instead of showing a spirit of sacrifice, Sukhbir Singh Badal has issued a dictatorial order by dissolving the core committee. As per the practice, the core committee is dissolved when the entire organisational structure is disbanded. But now a new custom has been introduced where only the core committee is dissolved. Most of the core committee members were demanding a leadership change and they have dissolved that committee itself,” he said.

In the Lok Sabha polls, of the 13 seats in Punjab that it contested, the SAD managed to win just one seat — Bathinda — which was retained by Sukhbir’s wife Harsimrat Badal. Its candidates lost security deposits on 10 seats, as the party got only 13.42% of the vote share, down from 27.45% in the 2019 polls.

In 2019, when the SAD and the BJP contested together, they had won two seats each, with the Congress and the AAP winning eight and one respectively.

Despite being the BJP’s oldest ally, the SAD broke up with it in 2020 over the farmers’ movement against the now-repealed three contentious central farm laws.

In the 2022 Assembly polls swept by the AAP, which bagged 92 seats out of 117, the SAD and the BJP had fought separately, getting three and two seats respectively, with the then incumbent Congress winning 18 seats. The BJP’s vote share then was just 6.6%, which rose to 18.56% in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In contrast, the SAD’s vote share dropped to 13.42% in the 2024 polls from 18.38% in 2022.

Earlier this month, the Jalandhar West Assembly bypoll proved to be a major embarrassment for Sukhbir as he was forced to get the SAD to disown its official candidate Surjit Kaur since she was backed by the party rebels. In a stunning turn of events, the SAD then shifted its support to BSP nominee Binder Kumar.

The bypoll result saw AAP candidate Mahinder Bhagat trouncing the BJP’s Sheetal Angural by 37,325 votes, with the Congress candidate finishing third. While Surjit secured 1,242 votes, Binder got 734 votes, even as both of them lost their security deposits.

“The mandate of the people is clearly signalling that the SAD needs a change in leadership. Serious reforms are needed in this party which claims itself to be the voice of Punjabis. Perhaps the dissolution of the core committee is a step in that direction,” a senior Akali Dal leader said.

On July 1, the rebel SAD leaders appeared before the Akal Takht., the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, and apologised for the “mistakes” that were committed when their party was in power in the state. They sought forgiveness for the “four mistakes” during the former SAD regime between 2007 and 2017, including the failure to punish those responsible for the 2015 sacrilege incidents and “pardoning” Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2007 blasphemy case.

On July 15, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh had summoned the SAD president to appear in person and submit a written explanation within 15 days on rebel leaders’ allegations that “he did not represent the sentiments of the panth”.

On Wednesday, Sukhbir appeared before the Akal Takht Jathedar and submitted his explanation. He was accompanied by party leaders Balwinder Singh Bhunder and Daljit Singh Cheema.

Bhunder had earlier said, “All those who are making noises against the party first need to study our party’s history. We stand by our principles. Our foundation is laid on sacrifices. This is our fight to save Punjab. Strengthening regional parties is a must. We contested independently over Punjab’s issues. There are a few critical voices, but our president stood by the party’s principles and took tough decisions. We fought for the federal system and strongly vouch for communal harmony.”