SAD Breakaway Group Elects Giani Harpreet Singh as President

On 11 Aug, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) breakaway group has elected former acting Jathedar (leader) of Sri Akal Takht Sahib (Eternal Throne, AT) and Jathedar Takht Sri Damdama Sahib (Throne, DT) Giani Harpreet Singh as its first president. The group also elected Bibi Satwant Kaur, daughter of Shahid (martyr) Bhai Amrik Singh, as chairperson of the Panthic (Sikh collective) Council. The breakaway group claims 150K members and says it has followed all AT instructions on choosing its leaders. On 6 Aug, AT Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj had passed a Hukamnama (edict) which said that the 2 Dec 2024 edict asked the different Akali Dals to get together. If a group does not want to follow the instructions then ‘they are free to do as they please’ but they are not allowed to claim they are ‘fulfilling the Akal Takht instructions.’ Also, after first allotting the Bhai Gurdas Hall, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) did not allow the group to install the Guru Granth Sahib (holy scripture) in the hall. The group then moved to Gurdwara Burj Akali Phoola Singh for the proceedings. The SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami distanced himself from the proceedings. He remarked that becoming president of Akali Dal was Giani Harpreet’s ‘long time ambition.’ Calling the development a ‘conspiracy’ and ‘pre-planned drama,’ Dhami alleged that the decision to appoint Giani Harpreet Singh was predetermined. This is the main critique Giani Harpreet faces: how could he as Jathedar DT be part of the decision to ask SAD to disband, its president Sukhbir Singh Badal to resign, and now occupy the same position? However, the original SAD also did not disband, and Badal became its president once again in March 2025. Giani Harpreet has vowed to revive the original spirit of Akali Dal, in his speech he recounted earlier AT jathedars who had gone on to become SAD presidents. The appointment of the first marginal caste leader as president of SAD breakaway group is a vertical split in SAD and has come as a jolt to Badal (earlier coverage).