CHANDIGARH: The 57-year-old Sukhbir Singh Badal was re-elected president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for the third time during a delegate session held today in Amritsar, on the 99th foundation day of the party.
The session, held at Teja Singh Samundri Hall, the headquarters of the SGPC, was attended by 600 delegates of the party from all the assembly segments of Punjab and neighboring states.
The party was founded in 1920, a month after the formation of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
In the meeting former minister Jathedar Tota Singh proposed the name of Sukhbir Singh Badal for post of President. Former MPs Prof. Prem Singh Chadumajra and Jagmeet Singh Brar seconded the name.
Later, Rajya Sabha MP, Balwinder Singh Bhunder announced that Sukhbir has been unanimously elected President of the party.
Union Food Processing Minister and Sukhbir’s wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal was among the first to congratulate her husband on his re-election.
Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch and former five-time Chief Minister Sukhbir’s father Parkash Singh Badal could not make it due to health reasons.
Former Minister and leader of the Akali Dal in state assembly Parminder Singh Dhindsa today skipped both the functions held on the occasion of the 99th foundation day of the Shiromani Akali Dal.
It was speculated earlier that he would attend the function being organized by rebel Akalis under the leadership of his father Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa led by the SAD (Taksali).
He proved the speculations wrong by not attending either functions, especially of his own party's where Sukhbir was unanimously elected president of the party.
On the eve of the party president’s election, Dhindsa (Senior) had called for Sukhbir's removal for running the party like a dictator and chose to attend the gathering at the Chief Khalsa Diwan-run school nearby.