After tasting a win to govern the state in 2007 and 2012 assembly elections in Punjab, Badal family led Shiromani Akali Dal, had to face a shameful defeat in forthcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections continuously. In 2017 assembly elections, it had to satisfy itself with only 15 seats out of 117 and it got a jolt in 2022 assembly elections, wherein it dashed to ground and succeeded only on one seat out of 117. The Party’s position worsened so much that it could win only 2 Lok Sabha seats out of total 13 in 2019 general elections and reduced to only one seat in 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Now the question arises – ‘Why did Shiromani Akali Dal lose its political ground so badly?’ Jai Singh Chhiber, a Punjab based senior journalist, while replying to a question asked by this author, states- “The major reason for the marginalization of the Shiromani Akali Dal has been its distance from religion. The leaders of the Akali Dal focused on national politics instead of Panthic politics. Along with this, they directly interfered in the work of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Akal Takht Sahib. Due to which the Panthic vote has distanced itself from the Shiromani Akali Dal, especially the Badal family. The Akali leadership will have to avoid direct interference in religion. To reunite the Panthic vote bank, the Panthic traditions and rituals, and the old leadership i.e. senior leaders, will have to be brought together.”
Angrez Singh Bhadaur, State Press Secretary, Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta Dakonda, Punjab
comments in a message to this author, “People feel in their hearts that Sukhbir Badal has given a lesser role to all Sikh institutions and traditions. He has used the Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee very badly for his political gains and has even humiliated the Jathedars. Calling the Jathedars to Badal house to force them to forgive Gurmeet Ram Rahim, transferring and harassing the opposing Jathedars, even changing the Jathedar of the Akal Takht, people understand the meaning of all this.”
Will Sukhbir Singh Badal act upon the voices of the people or his inner voice or play some tricky game to kill two birds with one shot? Political observers analyse that now, perhaps, observing a continuous win of BJP in the Centre as well as in most of the assembly elections, during last decade sailing on the alleged ‘Hindu-Muslim’ agenda, Sardar Sukhbir Singh Badal, the supremo of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) might have also decided to utilize somewhat the same formula and seems to run his political train on ‘Sikh-Non-Sikh’ track in the forthcoming assembly elections going to be held in 2027. Political analysts also see that Badal might be trying to have victory for his party on the one hand and provide safe space to the BJP on the other hand. By propagating Sikhs- Non-Sikhs (mostly Hindus) agenda, he wants to fetch Sikh Votes toward his Party and propel non-Sikh votes in favour of Hindu mindset party, giving a jolt to Aam Adami Party and Congress.
Addressing a seminar organised by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the martyrdom of the ninth Guru Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib in New Delhi on 18th October, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sardar Sukhbir Singh Badal called upon Sikhs all over the world to “Recognise, Expose and Defeat the deep-rooted conspiracy to grab control of Sikh religious institutions and to render the Khalsa Panth totally leaderless” and warned that the nefarious games being played to weaken the Khalsa Panth as well as Panthic institutions could prove extremely dangerous for peace and communal harmony. “The Khalsa Panth today is under an unprecedented ideological and political attack. Powerful elements in the country have resorted to the age-old strategy of trying to grab control of the three-apex religio-political institutions of the Sikhs – ‘Shri Akal Takhat Sahib, SGPC and SAD’ – by luring opportunistic traitors within the community and sponsoring their vicious social and mainstream media campaigns to defame Akali leadership and mislead the Sikh masses. What we have been witnessing in Punjab in the past nearly 13 years is the unfolding of a conspiracy of misinformation to mislead the community. The aim of these anti-Sikh conspirators and their stooges is to deprive Sikhs of their right to serve their holy places through their own democratically elected religious representatives. Their final objective is to dilute and destroy the separate identity of the Khalsa Panth by grabbing control of our sacred historical shrines and to run these as per the designs of the non-Sikhs.”
Mr Badal said that these anti Sikh conspiracies have already succeeded in snatching control of our shrines including our sacred Takhats outside Punjab. “Now, they are eying control of our supreme religious shrine, Shri Harmandar Sahib and Shri Akal Takhat sahib. This is the final assault on the unique ideology and message of the great Guru Sahiban. These conspirators know that they can succeed only by dislodging the elected representatives of the Sikhs and installing their stooges here to control the Sikh religion. They have already succeeded in Delhi, Haryana and Maharashtra where the Sikh shrines are now under the direct control of non-Sikh government.”
Will Badal succeed in his game? Will SAD succeed to win the forthcoming assembly elections by adopting Sikh-Non-Sikh agenda?
Angrez Singh Bhadaur, State Press Secretary, Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta Dakonda, says, “My personal opinion is that in the near future the people of Punjab will not support the Shiromani Akali Dal. Overall, the religious narrative is not in favour of the Akalis.”
Jai Singh Chhiber, Journalist, says, “As the Panthic vote has distanced itself from the Shiromani Akali Dal, especially the Badal family, the Akali leadership will have to avoid direct interference in religion. To reunite the Panthic vote bank, the Panthic traditions and rituals, and the old leadership i.e. senior leaders, will have to be brought together.”
Vijay Pal Singh, President Aam Aadmi Party Chandigarh, states, “Shiromani Akali Dal cannot wash off years of corruption, nepotism, and betrayal of Punjab’s interests by suddenly taking the religious route. People are no longer emotional fools; they can clearly differentiate between genuine faith and political drama. Religion is meant to unite, not to serve as a shortcut for political revival. The Akali Dal’s downfall is the result of its own deeds and no amount of religious posturing can bring it back. Today, the people stand with the Aam Aadmi Party, which has replaced deceit with honesty, and hypocrisy with real work on the ground.”
Jag Mohan Thaken is a Senior Journalist, Columnist & Political Analyst, views are personal
