Sukhbir Singh Badal Re-Elected As Shiromani Akali Dal Chief After 5 Months

Sukhbir Singh Badal was re-elected as Shiromani Akali Dal chief after five months of his resigning from the post.

Sukhbir Singh Badal was re-elected as Shiromani Akali Dal chief on Saturday, five months after resigning over allegations of religious misconduct. The party congratulated him with the tag "Punjab's Development Man."

Shiromani Akali Dal shared a post on X and said, "Congratulations to Punjab's development man, Sukhbir Singh Badal, on becoming the president of Shiromani Akali Dal. May Sukhbir Singh Badal firmly guard the rights of the Panth and Punjab and make Punjab prosperous."

Sukhbir Singh Badal to be the President of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)

Shiromani Akali Dal posts on 'X': "Congratulations to Punjab's development man, Sukhbir Singh Badal, on becoming the president of Shiromani Akali Dal. May Sukhbir Singh Badal firmly guard the rights of the… pic.twitter.com/xQ4Q8v2m0K

— ANI (@ANI) April 12, 2025

The 62-year-old former deputy chief minister was first elected as the party president in 2008, becoming the youngest person to hold the post.

His re-election during the party's general delegate session in Amritsar comes just four months after he resigned, having been declared 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct) by the Akal Takht for "mistakes" committed by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and its government between 2007 and 2017.

Badal survived an assassination attempt by a former Khalistani terrorist at Amritsar's Golden Temple in December last year while performing sewa (service) as an act of penance.

"I thank all for entrusting me with this responsibility. I promise the people that Punjab will again be turned into a number one state," Badal said after the party's election officer, Gulzar Singh Ranike, declared his name as the new president.

(With ANI inputs)