Formed with the aim of reviving traditional Panthic politics and bringing splintered Akali and Panthic forces onto a common platform, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) is now itself struggling to hold its ground, with a string of prominent leaders quitting or drifting towards rival parties just over a year after its formation.
With the 2027 Punjab assembly elections only months away, the departures have exposed the fledgling outfit’s internal fissures and organisational weaknesses, and put its central plank of Panthic unity under strain.
The faction, formed on August 11, 2025, under the leadership of former Akal Takht jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, emerged from a rebellion within the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led SAD. It was born out of discontent over Badal’s leadership, the alleged sidelining of senior Panthic leaders and the handling of directives issued by the Akal Takht.
Positioning itself as an alternative to the Badal-led SAD, the outfit had pledged to restore the traditional Panthic ethos of the Akali movement and pursue key community issues, including justice in cases of sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib, the release of Sikh political prisoners and reforms in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
However, the faction is now grappling with the very challenges it had promised to overcome, as differences within the Akali leadership and the inability to bring Panthic organisations onto a common platform threaten its political stability.
{{/usCountry}}However, the faction is now grappling with the very challenges it had promised to overcome, as differences within the Akali leadership and the inability to bring Panthic organisations onto a common platform threaten its political stability.
{{/usCountry}}Significantly, several leaders who have left the faction have cited the need to bring Akali and Panthic organisations together “to safeguard Punjab’s interests and the Panth” as the reason for their political realignment. Their departures expose the faction’s struggle to emerge as the unified Panthic front it had set out to be.
The latest setback for the faction is the impending return of former SGPC president Jagir Kaur to the Badal-led SAD. She is scheduled to rejoin the party on November 13, becoming another prominent leader to desert the breakaway outfit.
On November 7, three-time former SAD MP Prem Singh Chandumajra and his son, former MLA Harinderpal Singh Chandumajra, also returned to the Badal-led SAD after a one-year association with SAD (Punar Surjit).
Chandumajra, who won the Patiala Lok Sabha seat in 1996 and 1998 and Anandpur Sahib in 2014, all three times on the Badal-led SAD ticket, had parted ways with the party in 2024 amid differences within its leadership. He subsequently joined the Akali Sudhar Lehar, the reform movement that led to the formation of SAD (Punar Surjit) in August 2025.
Explaining his decision to return, Chandumajra had emphasised the urgency of uniting all Akali and Panthic factions under a single banner, saying the prevailing political circumstances demanded that groups rose above their differences and evolved a collective strategy to safeguard Punjab’s rights, Panthic issues and Punjabi identity.
Kaur, who has indicated that she wants to return to the Badal-led SAD, has similarly argued that the objective behind forming the Punar Surjit group — to undo the damage within the Akali Dal and revive the party — had not been achieved.
Kaur, a four-time SGPC president and former cabinet minister, is scheduled to rejoin the SAD in the presence of Sukhbir Badal and her supporters in Begowal, Kapurthala, on November 13. She had earlier been expelled from the SAD in November 2022 after contesting the SGPC presidential election against the party’s nominee, Harjinder Singh Dhami. She rejoined the party in March 2024 but subsequently parted ways with it and joined hands with Giani Harpreet Singh and other rebel leaders to form SAD (Punar Surjit) in August 2025.
As per sources, three more senior leaders of Punar Surjit are also expected to join the Badal-led SAD.
The faction has lost several other prominent leaders over the past year. Former minister Surjit Singh Rakhra was expelled over alleged anti-party activities before joining the AAP, while Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali quit the outfit and aligned himself with the Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De).
Senior leader Iqbal Singh Jhundan, along with around 15 other leaders, also announced unconditional support for Waris Punjab De, led by jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh.
Will not unite with deserters of Akal Takht: Giani Harpreet
Attacking the defectors, Giani Harpreet Singh said these were the same people who had approached the Akal Takht with a letter and sought recommendations even from abroad, urging the “Singh Sahibans” to excommunicate Sukhbir from the Panth.
In an apparent jibe at Sukhbir and other leaders, Giani Harpreet said his party will never compromise with those who are deserters of Akal Takht. “If the BJP aligns with them, we will consider them anti-Sikh and oppose them fiercely,” he added.
Hitting out at Prem Singh Chandumajra, he remarked that he was already “notorious” in Sikh history for “betrayal”.
Giani Harpreet maintained that the exits would not affect the organisation, saying the remaining leadership continued to stand firmly with the party.
He said a five-member committee would soon be constituted to explore possible electoral alliances, adding that the party was open to an alliance with any political force other than the Congress and the Badal-led SAD.
SAD (Punar Surjit) leader Gurpartap Singh Wadala maintained that the party remained committed to uniting Panthic forces. “We have always wanted Punjab and the Panth to remain united and have consistently advocated principled Panthic politics,” he said.