Punjab's Akali Dal Battles Internal Exodus Amid Anti-Mann Campaign
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is facing a dual challenge: while it ramps up a statewide campaign against Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over a controversial sacrilege video and new anti-sacrilege legislation, a steady stream of leaders are quitting the party, many joining the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) or rival Panthic groups.
On June 21, several local SAD and Congress leaders from the Lehragaga Assembly constituency in Sangrur district joined AAP in the presence of Cabinet Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal. Three days later, SAD vice-president Sumer Sira resigned from the party, alleging that a “cable mafia” had captured organisational posts in districts including Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib, leaving no space for genuine party workers. Sira had joined SAD from the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
On June 26, Guriqbal Singh Mahal, the party’s unsuccessful candidate from the Qadian Assembly seat, joined AAP. Within two days, Mann appointed Mahal as AAP’s Qadian constituency in-charge. The same day, former SAD MLA Darshan Singh Shivalik quit to join Akali Dal Waris Punjab De (WPD) in the presence of Manpreet Singh Ayali, who himself had switched to the outfit the previous month.
Former SAD MLA Varinder Kaur Loomba and her husband Karan Singh DTO are set to join AAP in Patran on Wednesday in Mann’s presence. Loomba, who won the Shutrana constituency in 2012 on a SAD ticket and later joined the breakaway Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) in 2025, is the latest to defect. This comes a month after former Punjab minister Surjit Singh Rakhra also joined AAP.
“While the anti-Mann campaign is in full swing, the exodus from SAD continues. Many leaders are choosing this period to quit, and several are joining AAP. That raises questions about the party’s organisational strength,” a senior SAD leader said on condition of anonymity.
These developments over the past fortnight coincide with the Akal Takht’s intervention in two politically sensitive issues. On June 15, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj declared Mann a “Guru dokhi” (anti-Guru) and “Khalsa panth virodhi” (anti-Khalsa community) over a viral video. Three days later, SAD announced it would launch a Dharam Yudh Morcha from July 19, demanding Mann’s removal as chief minister.
The campaign gained momentum after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on June 23 decided to spread awareness about the Akal Takht’s edict. From June 24, ‘Boycott Mann’ posters appeared outside several SGPC-managed gurdwaras and on walls across Punjab. In response, anti-Sukhbir Singh Badal posters appeared in a few places. Both sets were later removed.
The controversy took another turn after AAP’s Sikh MLAs appeared before the Akal Takht on Monday regarding the Jagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Amendment Act, 2026. Meanwhile, SAD has formed a five-member committee to steer its campaign, even as it struggles to contain defections.
