CHANDIGARH: Struggling for a revival the country’s oldest regional political party Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has rolled out a long list of plans to make a comeback in 2027 assembly polls. Days after the return of its senior leader Bikarm Majithia on bail in a money laundering case, the SAD leadership has signaled an aggressive comeback attempt anchored around cadre mobilisation, public rallies, Panthik consolidation and a possible recalibration of ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The party has announced the launch of a statewide mass contact programme beginning February 17 from Qadian under the banner “Punjab Bachao -Sukhbir Singh Badal Lyao.” The first phase will feature 40 rallies across Punjab, culminating in a mega congregation on Baisakhi (April 13) at Talwandi Sabo- a venue loaded with religious and political symbolism.
Going by the banners of this campaign it is clear that party president Sukhbir Singh Badal is being projected as the face of SAD’s revival bid. Even party’s senior leaders have described the outreach as a decisive attempt to reconnect with grassroots workers and re-energise the cadre after successive electoral setbacks in 2017 and 2022. Even as the Congress and BJP also working hard on the ground, the SAD was trying to reassert itself as the principal challenger to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The party’s campaign narrative revolves around agrarian distress, mounting farmer debt, unemployment, industrial slowdown and what it terms “administrative tokenism” by the AAP government in tackling drug abuse and law-and-order concerns. Punjab’s worsening fiscal stress and rising public debt are also expected to feature prominently in SAD’s rhetoric, as it attempts to frame the 2027 contest as a battle to “save Punjab’s economy and identity.”
A major morale booster for the party came earlier this month with the release of senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia from Nabha jail after seven months in custody in a disproportionate assets case. The Supreme Court granted him bail, observing that the chargesheet had already been filed and prolonged incarceration was unwarranted at this stage. Majithia, who has long been a polarising yet influential organisational strategist for SAD, walked out to a rousing reception by party workers, immediately accusing the AAP government of political vendetta.
Within party circles, his return is being described as “sanjeevani” a lifeline capable of energising booth-level networks and consolidating the rural Panthik base, particularly in the Malwa belt. Political observers believe that Majithia’s combative style could sharpen SAD’s attack on the Mann government over drugs, gangsterism and governance claims issues that have remained politically sensitive in Punjab for over a decade.
Soon after his release, senior leaders convened a high-level strategy meeting in Chandigarh to chart the organisational roadmap. The emphasis, sources say, is on booth restructuring, circle-level appointments and targeted outreach in both rural Sikh-dominated constituencies and urban Hindu pockets.
Adding another layer of intrigue to SAD’s revival effort is the persistent buzz about a possible reconciliation with the BJP. The two parties parted ways in 2020 over the contentious farm laws, ending a decades-old alliance that had defined Punjab’s bipolar politics. Though leaders from both parties have remained tight-lipped about the prospects of an alliance, internal discussions suggest that they are carefully weighing the political costs and gains of a formal pre-poll tie-up versus opting for a tacit understanding that could pave the way for a post-election reunion to form the government.
Moreover, a joint appearance by Sukhbir Badal and Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma at an anti-drug march led by Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria in Ferozepur triggered fresh alliance whispers. The event also saw the presence of Gurinder Singh Dhillon, the Radha Soami Satsang Beas chief, whose influence in the Malwa region carries electoral weight. Congress leaders were quick to dub the optics as a “Samjhauta Express” aimed at pre-poll adjustments.
Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, now aligned with the BJP, has openly advocated a SAD-BJP reunion, arguing that a divided opposition would only benefit AAP. However, signals from BJP’s central leadership remain mixed.
However, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh have publicly ruled out a pre-poll alliance, asserting that the BJP intends to contest all 117 seats independently to build what they call a “Viksit Punjab.”
Despite official denials, political observer and political science professor Ramji Lal believes arithmetic may eventually override rhetoric. A reunion could theoretically combine SAD’s traditional Panthik rural base with the BJP’s Hindu urban vote bank, potentially altering the triangular contest that also includes the Congress and emerging outfits such as Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De).
The ruling AAP, meanwhile, has dismissed SAD’s campaign as an attempt to revive “old politics.” Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has repeatedly warned voters against what he calls a return to a “dark era,” referencing past controversies related to sacrilege incidents, drug allegations and governance questions during SAD’s tenure.
Yet, with Congress battling internal factionalism and AAP facing increasing scrutiny over fiscal management, law and order, and delivery of promises, SAD’s early and aggressive mobilisation may inject new energy into Punjab’s political arena.
As Sukhbir Badal positions himself once again as a contender for the Chief Minister’s chair, the party’s strategy appears clear reclaim the Panthik narrative, expand into Hindu-majority urban constituencies, foreground economic distress and keep alliance options tactically open. Whether this blend of symbolism, mobilisation and political recalibration translates into electoral gains will become clearer in the months ahead.
