Formed with the aim of reviving traditional Panthic politics and bringing splintered Akali and Panthic forces onto a common platform, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) is now itself struggling to hold its ground, with a string of prominent leaders quitting or drifting towards rival parties just over a year after its formation.
She is scheduled to rejoin the party on November 13, becoming another prominent leader to desert the breakaway outfit. Chandumajra, who won the Patiala Lok Sabha seat in 1996 and 1998 and Anandpur Sahib in 2014, all three times on the Badal-led SAD ticket, had parted ways with the party in 2024 amid differences within its leadership. He subsequently joined the Akali Sudhar Lehar, the reform movement that led to the formation of SAD (Punar Surjit) in August 2025. Kaur, a four-time SGPC president and former cabinet minister, is scheduled to rejoin the SAD in the presence of Sukhbir Badal and her supporters in Begowal, Kapurthala, on November 13. She had earlier been expelled from the SAD in November 2022 after contesting the SGPC presidential election against the party’s nominee, Harjinder Singh Dhami. She rejoined the party in March 2024 but subsequently parted ways with it and joined hands with Giani Harpreet Singh and other rebel leaders to form SAD (Punar Surjit) in August 2025.
The faction has lost several other prominent leaders over the past year. The latest setback for the faction is the impending return of former SGPC president Jagir Kaur to the Badal-led SAD. Explaining his decision to return, Chandumajra had emphasised the urgency of uniting all Akali and Panthic factions under a single banner, saying the prevailing political circumstances demanded that groups rose above their differences and evolved a collective strategy to safeguard Punjab’s rights, Panthic issues and Punjabi identity. Kaur, who has indicated that she wants to return to the Badal-led SAD, has similarly argued that the objective behind forming the Punar Surjit group — to undo the damage within the Akali Dal and revive the party — had not been achieved. Former minister Surjit Singh Rakhra was expelled over alleged anti-party activities before joining the AAP, while Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali quit the outfit and aligned himself with the Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De).
In an apparent jibe at Sukhbir and other leaders, Giani Harpreet said his party will never compromise with those who are deserters of Akal Takht. “If the BJP aligns with them, we will consider them anti-Sikh and oppose them fiercely,” he added.
