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SAD pulls out of race for Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat
The decision comes hot on the heels of SAD’s Chandigarh candidate Hardeep Singh Saini quitting the party on May 6 and three days later surprisingly defecting to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), dealing a major blow to the panthic party’s campaign in Chandigarh, where it had stepped into the fray for the very first time
In a dramatic turn of events, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has decided to step back from the Lok Sabha election battleground in Chandigarh.
The decision comes hot on the heels of SAD’s Chandigarh candidate Hardeep Singh Saini quitting the party on May 6 and three days later surprisingly defecting to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), dealing a major blow to the panthic party’s campaign in Chandigarh, where it had stepped into the fray for the very first time.
With the SAD out of the picture, the stage is now set for a head-to-head showdown between Congress’ Manish Tewari and BJP’s Sanjay Tandon.
Nominating Saini from Chandigarh on April 22, SAD had decided to contest from the seat independently for the first time, after supporting BJP candidates as part of their alliance since 1996. It had snapped ties with the saffron fold in 2021 amid farmers’ protest against the three agri laws.
SAD vice-president and spokesperson Harjit Singh Bhullar, who was vying for the ticket after Saini’s departure, confirmed the party’s decision to leave the Lok Sabha contest in Chandigarh, citing the party’s strategic shift towards first fortifying its grassroots presence in the city ahead of the municipal corporation elections in December 2025.
“I had a meeting with party president Sukhbir Singh Badal, who decided not to contest the elections from Chandigarh this time. We will be focusing on strengthening the party’s local unit to overcome factionalism and internal conflicts before the 2025 MC elections,” said Bhullar.
As Saini was also the party’s local unit chief, Bhullar said the party president will soon announce a new body for Chandigarh SAD after consulting the local leadership.
Being the lone SAD councillor in Chandigarh, Saini’s switch to the AAP also bumped up the party’s strength in the 35-member MC House from 12 to 13. The BJP has 15 councillors and the Congress seven.
He had won the MC elections from Ward Number 10 thrice in 2015 (bypoll), 2016 and 2021, underscoring his popularity among local voters.
A second generation Akali leader, Saini was appointed as SAD’s Chandigarh unit president in 2018. In 2016, he was elected as the deputy mayor, and three years later as the senior deputy mayor in 2019.
On May 9, he had switched to the AAP along with several associates, crippling SAD’s prospects in Chandigarh and boosting the campaign of INDIA bloc candidate Manish Tewari.
A day before, SAD had also expelled senior party leader and SGPC member Harjinder Kaur for indulging in anti-party activities by supporting the BJP campaign in Chandigarh.
