CHANDIGARH: With the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections approaching, the Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), led by jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, is seeking to occupy the Panthic political space long dominated by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). But the fledgling outfit’s electoral ambitions are running up against organisational turbulence, ideological differences and an unresolved registration battle with the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Floated in January 2025 at the Maghi Mela in Muktsar under the slogan Panth Bachao, Punjab Bachao (Save the Panth, Save Punjab), the party will make its Assembly election debut in 2027.
It has already announced 42 candidates and is exploring alliances with national and regional parties. However, its application for registration, submitted in January last year, remains pending, leaving the outfit without a recognised election symbol. The registration issue has acquired a fresh dimension after the ECI informed the Delhi High Court on November 10 that it had received “grave and highly sensitive” inputs suggesting that registering the outfit could adversely affect India’s sovereignty and integrity.
The Commission said the objection, received on July 9, 2026, alleged that the organisation had separatist roots and that a comprehensive background inquiry by the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer was still awaited.
Senior party leader and Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali, who quit the SAD to join Waris Punjab De, says the new outfit has emerged from this discontent.
“Akali Dal Waris Punjab De came into existence because of the Panthic vacuum created in Punjab politics. The Sikh voter was deeply annoyed with the baggage that the Akali Dal (Badal) carried over the years, particularly the 2015 pardon and the sacrilege issue, which remains fresh in people's memory,” he said.
Ayali points to Amritpal Singh’s victory from Khadoor Sahib in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as evidence of this political discontent.
Singh won the seat as an Independent candidate while being detained under the National Security Act (NSA) in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail. The party subsequently sought to convert that electoral support into a political organisation.
The outfit’s stated ambition is to establish a Sarkar-e-Khalsa in Punjab, promising representation for the Panth and employment opportunities for farmers, labourers, traders, shopkeepers, MGNREGA workers, government employees and youth.
Tarsem Singh, Amritpal’s father, has been at the forefront of efforts to consolidate support among disgruntled Panthic factions, former SAD supporters and politically inactive voters. The party is also attempting to reach out to Dalit voters, traditionally an important electoral constituency in Punjab.
However, its internal functioning has come under scrutiny. A recent decision to dissolve the organisational structure and suspend members of its five-member principal drafting committee exposed differences over the party's ideological direction and leadership.
On November 10, the party announced 28 new district presidents in an apparent attempt to rebuild its organisational structure.
The absence of Amritpal, who continues to be lodged in Assam, is another organisational challenge. Tarsem Singh and Ayali are consequently shouldering much of the political and organisational responsibility. Ayali's growing influence, however, has reportedly caused unease among sections of the party leadership.
Political analyst Prof Kuldip Singh believes the outfit could draw support from sections of the Panthic electorate but faces limitations in expanding beyond its core constituency.
“It may win a few seats, but it is unlikely to emerge as a major player in the coming elections. It could cut into the Panthic vote bank, including votes that went to the AAP in the last Assembly elections. It might get around four per cent of the votes,” he said.
The party has also constituted an ideology and agenda committee, headed by Iqbal Singh Jhundan, to formulate its political programme. The committee includes scholars, social activists, former officials, farmers’ and employees' representatives, journalists and legal experts.
