SAD not to contest Delhi assembly polls: Paramjit Singh Sarna

A party leader, who did not want to be named, said the SAP was currently busy with the upcoming Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee elections on January 19

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has decided not to contest the Delhi assembly election scheduled for February 5. This was announced by party’s state unit president Paramjit Singh Sarna on Wednesday.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Delhi unit president Paramjit Singh Sarna (HT File)

The SAD — which had called off an alliance (of 25 years) with Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) in September 2021 to express solidarity with farmers who objected to the Centre’s three farm laws which were later repealed — had also not contested the 2020 Delhi assembly polls amid differences with ally BJP over Citizen Amendment Act.

“We can’t win without an alliance with the BJP. So, we decided not to contest the February 5 polls,” Sarna told HT, adding that “the party can play the role of a spoiler”. “We will try that those who have ignored Sikh issues do not win,” Saran said

A party leader, who did not want to be named, said the SAD was currently busy with the upcoming Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee elections on January 19. Also, it was focusing on the January 10 working committee meeting that will take up Sukhbir Singh Badal’s resignation. “It will also kick off a process to re-organise the party and that might take a few months,” he added.

Of the 1.5 crore electorate in the national capital, nearly seven lakh are Sikhs who have considerable population (of 10-25%) in assembly constituencies such as Rajouri Garden, Hari Nagar, Janakpuri, Tilak Nagar, Moti Nagar, Vikas Puri and Nangloi.

In 2013 elections, the SAD had won three seats with party leaders Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Harmeet Singh Kalka and Jitender Singh Shanty emerging victorious. At that time, the Aam Aadmi Party had formed the government t for the first time and stayed in power for 49 days. SAD’s Delhi state unit president Manjit Singh GK, who also was Delhi Sikh Gurdwara management Committee (DSGMC) president, had led the campaign.

In 2017, Tilak Nagar MLA Jarnail Singh had quit Delhi assembly to contest assembly elections in Punjab from Lambi constituency, leading to a bypoll which Sirsa won.

The SAD had not contested the November 2024 bypolls to four Vidhan Sabha constituencies in Punjab stating that the highest temporal seat of Sikhs -Akal Takht - had forbidden Sukhbir from jumping in the fray.