Sukhbir Singh Badal Re-Elected Shiromani Akali Dal President Months After Resignation Over ‘Religious Misconduct’
Sukhbir Singh Badal has been re-elected as president of the Shiromani Akali Dal. He had earlier resigned after being declared "tankhaiya" (guilty of religious misconduct) by the Akal Takht.
Sukhbir Singh Badal was re-elected president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) during the party’s general delegate session held at the Teja Singh Samundari Hall in the Sri Darbar Sahib complex, Amritsar, on Saturday.
His name was proposed by the party’s working president, Balwinder Singh Bhundar, and seconded by senior leader Paramjit Singh Sarna, news agency PTI reported. The session witnessed the presence of several senior party leaders, including Sukhbir’s wife and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, former ministers Bikram Singh Majithia and Daljit Singh Cheema, and senior leader Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal.
Shiromani Akali Dal posted on social media, "Congratulations to Punjab's development man, Sukhbir Singh Badal, on becoming the president of Shiromani Akali Dal. May Sukhbir Singh Badal firmly guard the rights of the Panth and Punjab and make Punjab prosperous again."
ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਵਿਕਾਸ ਪੁਰਸ਼ ਸ. ਸੁਖਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਾਦਲ ਜੀ ਨੂੰ ਸ਼੍ਰੋਮਣੀ ਅਕਾਲੀ ਦਲ ਦਾ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਬਣਨ 'ਤੇ ਬਹੁਤ ਬਹੁਤ ਮੁਬਾਰਕਾਂ, ਸ. ਬਾਦਲ ਪੰਥ ਤੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਹੱਕਾਂ ਦੀ ਡੱਟ ਕੇ ਪਹਿਰੇਦਾਰੀ ਕਰਨ ਅਤੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਨੂੰ ਮੁੜ ਖੁਸ਼ਹਾਲ ਬਣਾਉਣ।#ShiromaniAkaliDal#SukhbirSinghBadal pic.twitter.com/oa0BSJLR6V
— Shiromani Akali Dal (@Akali_Dal_) April 12, 2025
According to The Tribune, party insiders had stated that Sukhbir was both the “favourite” and “the only candidate” for the post. The election comes at the conclusion of a three-month-long membership drive.
After his re-election, Sukhbir Badal vowed to make Punjab the number one state in the country. He remarked, "I thank all the Punjabis, Khalsa Panth, and all the members of the SAD who gave me an opportunity to serve. I promise to the people of Punjab that we will make Punjab no. 1 again... Our Gurus have taught us to respect all religions... I want to assure people of all religions that Punjab is your state."
#WATCH | Amritsar, Punjab: On being elected as the president of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Sukhbir Singh Badal says, "... I thank all the Punjabis, Khalsa Panth and all the members of the SAD who gave me an opportunity to serve. I promise to the people of Punjab that we will make… pic.twitter.com/O5oz9MC0zW
— ANI (@ANI) April 12, 2025
"Shiromani Akali Dal is the true party of Punjab. In our 104 years of party history, our leadership and workers have sacrificed themselves for the country, Punjab and for the progress of Khalsa Panth," he added.
Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring dismissed the development. He told news agency ANI, "You are saying he is reelected. He was the president already. When was he removed? When did he resign? It was just on paper, and he used a proxy. He was the president, and now he is appointed again."
#WATCH | Chandigarh: On Sukhbir Singh Badal being elected as the president of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring says, "... He was the President already. When was he removed? When did he resign? It was just on paper... He was the… pic.twitter.com/GMUoLjZYqd
— ANI (@ANI) April 12, 2025
Sukhbir Singh Badal Resiged After Akal Takht Declared Him ‘Tankhaiya’
Sukhbir Singh Badal had earlier stepped down from the post on 16 November 2024, after being declared tankhaiya—guilty of religious misconduct—by the Akal Takht. The religious authority found him responsible for mistakes committed by the SAD and its government during its tenure from 2007 to 2017. Following this, Sukhbir underwent tankhah, a form of religious punishment. His resignation was accepted by the party’s working committee in January 2025.
Sukhbir had first assumed the role of SAD president in December 2008, during the chief ministership of his father, Parkash Singh Badal. He was initially hailed as a forward-looking leader who introduced a corporate-style functioning within the party. However, dissent grew after successive electoral setbacks, starting with the 2017 Assembly elections. The party, which had governed Punjab from 2007 to 2017, was reduced to just three MLAs in the 2022 state elections and secured only one seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The SAD had selected 567 delegates—four from each of the 117 Assembly constituencies in Punjab—to vote in the presidential election.
Following his reappointment, the party is scheduled to hold a political conference on 13 April at Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda, where Sukhbir Singh Badal will address party members.
The Akal Takht formally declared Sukhbir as tankhaiya on 30 August 2024. He later wrote to then Akal Takht Jathedar, Giani Raghbir Singh, requesting a religious punishment, acknowledging the need to atone for the mistakes made by the party during its previous rule in Punjab.
Related Video
Punjab News: AAP Leader Shot Dead During Wedding in Amritsar
Top Headlines
