Senior leader and former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra resigned from the breakaway faction Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) on Wednesday, citing differences with the outfit’s leadership over its strategy for achieving Panthic unity. He is set to re-join Sukhbir Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on November 6.
In a statement, Chandumajra said bringing all Akali and Panthic organisations onto a common platform was imperative to safeguard the interests of Punjab and the Panth.
“Giani Harpreet Singh’s response to my appeal for Panthic unity made it clear that our thinking, ideology and approach to the larger cause differed,” he said.
SAD secretary general Balwinder Singh Bhundar, the party’s second-in-command, confirmed Chandumajra’s joining.
“He will be joining on November 6. The SAD welcomes Chandumajra’s decision to resign from the breakaway faction; we appeal for a panthic unity and ask all leaders who had earlier left to join back,” Bhundar said.
Meanwhile, people familiar with the developments said Chandumajra’s son, former MLA from Sanaur, Harinder Pal Singh, will also follow his father back into the SAD.
Chandumajra had left the SAD in 2024 to be part of the breakaway faction after unsuccessfully contesting the Lok Sabha election from Anandpur Sahib as a SAD candidate. The same year, he was part of the Akali Sudhar Lehar that approached Akal Takht in July, seeking an apology for religious transgressions allegedly committed between 2007 and 2017, when the SAD-BJP alliance was in power in Punjab. In August that year, SAD (Punar Surjit) was formed with former Akal Takht jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh as its president.
{{/usCountry}}Chandumajra had left the SAD in 2024 to be part of the breakaway faction after unsuccessfully contesting the Lok Sabha election from Anandpur Sahib as a SAD candidate. The same year, he was part of the Akali Sudhar Lehar that approached Akal Takht in July, seeking an apology for religious transgressions allegedly committed between 2007 and 2017, when the SAD-BJP alliance was in power in Punjab. In August that year, SAD (Punar Surjit) was formed with former Akal Takht jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh as its president.
{{/usCountry}}Fourth leader to quit
Chandumajra will be the fourth leader to have quit the breakaway faction. Former minister Surjit Singh Rakhra recently joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), while Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali aligned himself with jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh-led Waris Punjab De. Senior leader Iqbal Singh Jhundan, along with 15 other leaders, has announced support to Waris Punjab De.
“This is unfortunate, as Chandumajra had played an active role in the formation of Akali Sudhar Lehar and then the SAD (Punar Surjit),” said Gurpartap Singh Wadala, secretary general of SAD (Punar Surjit), adding, “I had asked him to wait as we are nearing an alliance with the BJP, but he chose to quit.”