Akal Takht ex-Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh elected president of Shiromani Akali Dal

The Akal Takht-appointed five-member committee on Monday unanimously elected Giani Harpreet Singh as the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in a meeting of the delegate session held at Gurdwara Burj Akali Phoola Singh in Amritsar.

Apart from this, Satwant Kaur has been elected as chairperson of the 'Panthic' council.

The political group led by Giani Harpreet Singh, former acting Jathedar of the Akal Takht, was seen as a parallel to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), while the Panthic council was carved out to guide the group.

Issuing a clarion call to revive the original Akali Dal of 1920, the panel announced that Giani Harpreet Singh would not contest the elections.

The elected heads claim to represent the original Akali Dal and intend to approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) for ratification.

Giani Harpreet Singh, the former Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, was part of the Sikh clergy that had pronounced 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct) for SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal and other Akali leaders on December 2, 2024.

In February, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had dismissed the services of Giani Harpreet Singh as the Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib.

Known for his oratory skills, Giani Harpreet Singh is the first head of any Akali Dal faction to come from the Scheduled Caste community.

Satwant Kaur is the daughter of the former head of the All India Sikh Students Federation, Amrik Singh, who was killed inside the Golden Temple during Operation Bluestar in 1984.

Meanwhile, during the poll process, Bibi Jagir Kaur and Gobind Singh Longowal, both former presidents of the SGPC, along with Prem Singh Chandumajra, were present, sending a clear message that these prominent Akali leaders support the entire process.

The poll was conducted under the supervision of Santa Singh Umaidpuri, a panel member appointed as election officer after duly notifying the ECI. Other panel members include Manpreet Singh Ayali, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, and Iqbal Singh Jhunda.

The panel, including rebel Akali leaders, was constituted by the highest temporal seat through an edict issued on December 2 last year. It was tasked with holding a membership drive for the party, besides holding organisational elections.

These measures were initiated in response to the SAD’s political weakening following a series of electoral setbacks.

However, the SAD rejected the Takht-constituted committee and carried its own membership drive, leaving the fate of the Takht panel in limbo. Later, the SAD re-elected Sukhbir Singh Badal as the party president in April.