Akal Takht-constituted committee to elect new SAD president today

The Akal Takht-constituted five-member committee has invited the 528 newly appointed delegates to elect the new Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief at Gurdwara Burj Akali Phula Singh at 11 am in Amritsar on Monday.

The development is being watched keenly by political parties since the election will pave the way for the formation of a parallel Akali Dal.

The key contenders include sacked Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, a bête noire of SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal; and Satwant Kaur, a member of the committee and daughter of Amrik Singh, former head of the All-India Sikh Students Federation, who was killed inside the Golden Temple during Operation Blue Star.

Charanjit Singh Brar, office coordinator of the committee, said if the delegates failed to elect the SAD president unanimously, they would hold elections.

The committee has already informed the Election Commission in this regard. Santa Singh Umaidpuri, another panel member, will act as the election officer. The other members include Manpreet Singh Ayali, Gurpartap Singh Wadala and Iqbal Singh Jhunda.

DGP Gaurav Yadav and Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar had been asked to ensure adequate security at the poll venue, said Brar.

The panel had refused to hold a meeting at Bhai Gurdas Ji Hall after the SGPC barred it from holding 'Parkash' of Guru Granth Sahib there, said Brar. The SGPC had earlier denied it permission to hold the meeting at Teja Singh Samundri Hall.

Satwant Kaur said it was a tradition to hold "Parkash" of Guru Granth Sahib during the SAD president's election. However, the ritual had been done away with recently, she pointed out.

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.

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.

SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema, referring to the directions of then Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh issued on December 2, 2024, said he had categorically mentioned that the move was aimed at consolidating the SAD.

Questioning Giani Harpreet Singh's claim to the top post, Cheema said anyone who had headed the Akal Takht couldn't compete for a political party president's post.