Sukhbir Singh Badal has officially resigned from his position as president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) as of Saturday, submitting his resignation to the party’s working committee. This announcement follows the Akal Takht Sahib’s declaration on August 30, which deemed the 62-year-old as ‘tankhaiya’ or guilty of breaching the Sikh religious code of conduct.
SAD spokesperson Daljeet Singh Cheema confirmed the resignation, stating in a post on X, “SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal submitted his resignation to the working committee of the party today to pave the way for the election of the new president. He expressed gratitude to all the party leaders and workers for their confidence in his leadership and their unwavering support throughout his tenure.”
On August 29, Sukhbir appointed Balwinder Singh Bhunder as the working president of SAD. Former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had initially appointed Sukhbir as the party president in January 2008. Internal dissent against Sukhbir began in October 2015, following incidents of sacrilege and the theft of the Guru Granth Sahib. Criticism escalated after the party’s poor performance in the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections.
This July, a faction of the Akali Dal named Akali Dal Sudhar Lehar emerged under the leadership of Gurpartap Singh Wadala, with senior SAD leaders in the group calling for Sukhbir’s resignation for quite some time. On August 30, the Akal Takht held Sukhbir accountable for decisions made during his time as deputy chief minister and party chief from 2007 to 2017, stating these actions “deeply harmed the image of the Panth and caused damage to Sikh interests.” Since this declaration, Sukhbir has refrained from political engagement.
In October, Sukhbir’s participation in two protests against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, claiming that the ruling party was obstructing candidates from filing nominations for panchayat polls, drew objections from leaders within the Sudhar Lehar. Additionally, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh stated that Sukhbir would not be permitted to engage in political activities while under ‘tankhaiya’ status. The Jathedar has yet to announce the ‘tankha’ or punishment regarding the violations of the Sikh religious code.
Sukhbir’s political career began in 1996 when he was elected as an MP from Faridkot. After losing his seat in 1999, he returned to Parliament as a Rajya Sabha MP in 2001 and served as a Union minister during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee administration. He reclaimed the Faridkot Lok Sabha seat in 2004 and transitioned to state politics in August 2009 by winning the Jalalabad bypoll, serving as deputy chief minister of Punjab until March 2017. Under his leadership, the SAD-BJP alliance secured victory in the 2012 elections, although the party’s fortunes declined following the 2017 Assembly elections. The SAD will not participate in the forthcoming bypolls for four Assembly constituencies in Punjab scheduled for November 20.
