Sukhbir Singh Badal has resigned as the President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), paving the way for the election of a new leader. The announcement was confirmed by former Punjab Education Minister Dr. Daljit S. Cheema in a tweet on Saturday.
Cheema wrote, “The SAD President S. Sukhbir Singh Badal submitted his resignation to the Working Committee of the party today to pave the way for the election of a new President. He thanked all the party leaders and workers for expressing confidence in his leadership and extending wholehearted support and cooperation throughout his tenure.”
The resignation follows a series of internal party discussions. In July, the SAD dissolved its core committee during a meeting in Chandigarh, with plans for reorganization. At that time, Cheema had announced that the Working Committee had authorized Badal to oversee the party’s restructuring.
Party leaders present at the meeting included S. Harjinder S. Dhami, S. Balwinder S. Bhundar, S. Mahesh Inder S. Grewal, Dr. Daljit S. Cheema, S. Paramjit S. Sarna, S. Iqbal S. Jhoonda, and Harcharan S. Bains.
Badal’s resignation comes amid growing dissent within the party. Prominent leaders, including Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Bibi Jagir Kaur, had earlier revolted against his leadership, demanding a change after the party’s poor performance in recent elections. In Jalandhar, dissident leaders held a meeting seeking Badal’s removal, while others in the party remained steadfast in their support for him.
Former SGPC President Bibi Jagir Kaur criticized Badal’s leadership style, claiming he often disregarded concerns raised by party members. However, following the internal revolt, the SAD Working Committee reiterated its faith in Badal’s leadership, calling on him to counter alleged conspiracies against the party.
The party’s official statement on X said, “Shiromani Akali Dal Working Committee reposes complete faith in the leadership of party president S. Sukhbir Singh Badal and urges detractors not to play into the hands of Panth’s enemies. The committee asks the president to lead the efforts to expose conspiracies against the party, Panth, and Punjab.”
Reacting to these developments, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, SAD MP and wife of Sukhbir Singh Badal, defended her husband, adding, “The entire Shiromani Akali Dal is united and is standing with Sukhbir Badal. Some of the stooges of the BJP are trying to break SAD. They want to do the same as they did in Maharashtra.”
(Inputs from ANI)