The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) (translation: Supreme Eternal Party[19]) is a centre-right Sikh-centric state political party in Punjab, India. The party is the second-oldest in India, after Congress, being founded in 1920.[20][21][22] Although there are many parties with the description Akali Dal, the party that is recognized as "Shiromani Akali Dal" by the Election Commission of India is the one led by Sukhbir Singh Badal. The party has a moderate Punjabi agenda.[23] On 26 September 2020, they left the NDA over the farm bills.[24]
Shiromani Akali Dal | |
---|---|
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President | Sukhbir Singh Badal |
Lok Sabha Leader | Harsimrat Kaur Badal |
Founded | 14 December 1920 |
Headquarters | Block #6, Madhya Marg Sector 28, Chandigarh |
Newspaper | Akali Awaaz |
Student wing | Student Organisation of India[1] |
Youth wing | Youth Akali Dal |
Women's wing | Istri Akali Dal[2] |
Labour wing | Shiromani Akali Dal SC wing[3] |
Peasant's wing | Shiromani Akali Dal BC wing[4] |
Ideology | Conservatism[5][6] Punjabiyat[7][8][9][10] Punjabi nationalism[11][12] Federalism[13][14] |
Political position | Centre-right[15][16][17] |
Colours | Navy Blue & Saffron |
ECI Status | State Party[18] |
Alliance | SAD+BSP (2021-2023) SAD+INLD (2021-Present) National Democratic Alliance (1998–2020) |
Seats in Lok Sabha | 1 / 543 |
Seats in Rajya Sabha | 0 / 245 |
Seats in Punjab Legislative Assembly | 2 / 117 |
Election symbol | |
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Website | |
www | |
History
editBritish India
editAkali Dal was formed on 14 December 1920 as a task force of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, the Sikh religious body. The Akali Dal considers itself the principal representative of Sikhs. Sardar Sarmukh Singh Chubbal was the first president of a unified proper Akali Dal, but it became popular under Master Tara Singh.[25] Akali movement influenced 30 new Punjabi newspapers launched between 1920 and 1925.[26]
In the provincial election of 1937, the Akali Dal won 10 seats. The Khalsa Nationalists won 11 seats and joined the coalition government headed by the Unionist leader Sikander Hyat Khan. The Akalis sat in opposition and made occasional forays into reaching an understanding with the Muslim League, which never reached fruition.[27]
In the provincial election of 1946, the Akali Dal won 22 seats and joined the coalition government headed by the Unionist Khizar Hayat Khan Tiwana, along with the Indian National Congress. The Muslim League was unable to capture power, despite having won the largest number of seats, which perhaps suited it fine as it strengthened its Pakistan demand. The Muslim League launched a civil disobedience campaign, bringing down the Tiwana government by March 1947. The rest of the period till Indian independence was filled by Governor's Rule.[28]
As with other Sikh organisations, Master Tara Singh and his Akali Dal strongly opposed the partition of India, which he thought would create an environment of possible persecution.[29]
Post Independence India
editIn the 1950s, the party launched the Punjabi Suba movement, demanding a state with majority of Punjabi speaking people, out of undivided East Punjab under the leadership of Sant Fateh Singh.[30] In 1966, the present Punjab was formed. Akali Dal came to power in the new Punjab in March 1967,[31] but early governments didn't live long due to internal conflicts and power struggles within the party. Later, party strengthened and party governments completed full term.
Modern Factions
editSukhdev Singh Dhindsa along with other Akali leaders came together at a Gurdwara in Ludhiana on 7 July 2020 to re-establish SAD (D). Dhindsa was chosen as president of the revived political party. He claimed SAD (D) as the true Shiromani Akali Dal and that the one so called was taken over by the Badal family.[32]
Prior to this in late 2018, expelled senior members of Shiromani Akali Dal Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Rattan Singh Ajnala, Sewa Singh Sekhwan, their relatives and others had formed SAD (T).[33] The reasoning of the expelling was due to their accusations of the Badal family steering Shiromani Akali Dal in the wrong path.
Ahead of the 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly election, both SAD (T) and SAD (D) were dissolved to be merged together into a new political party by the name of Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt). This party entered into the National Democratic Alliance to contest the Punjab elections alongside the candidates of Bharatiya Janata Party.[citation needed]
Ideology
editShiromani Akali Dal's main goals are the protection of Sikh rights, Punjab's waters, and opposition to the Sutlej Yamuna link canal.[34]
1996 Moga Conference
editIn 1996, at a historic conference in Moga, Shiromani Akali Dal adopted a moderate Punjabi agenda and shifted party headquarters from Amritsar to Chandigarh.[35]
Party Presidents
editFollowing is the list of presidents of the party as given on the party website.
S. No. | Name | Portrait | Term Start | Term End | Duration |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sarmukh Singh Jhabal | -- | 17 February 1969 | 27 March 1970 | 1 year, 1 month, 10 days 405 days |
2 | Kharak Singh | -- | -- | -- | |
3 | Master Tara Singh | -- | -- | -- | |
4 | Gopal Singh Qaumi | -- | -- | -- | |
5 | Tara Singh Thethar | -- | -- | -- | |
6 | Teja Singh Akarpuri | -- | -- | -- | |
7 | Babu Labh Singh | -- | -- | -- | |
8 | Udham Singh Nagoke | -- | -- | -- | |
9 | Giani Kartar Singh | -- | -- | -- | |
10 | Pritam Singh Gojran (Gujjran Sangrur) | -- | -- | -- | |
11 | Hukam Singh | -- | -- | -- | |
12 | Fateh Singh | -- | -- | -- | |
13 | Achar Singh | -- | -- | -- | |
14 | Bhupinder Singh | -- | -- | -- | |
15 | Mohan Singh Tur | -- | -- | -- | |
16 | Jagdev Singh Talwandi | -- | -- | -- | |
17 | Harchand Singh Longowal | -- | 20 August 1985 | -- | |
18 | Surjit Singh Barnala | 27 September 1985 | 1996 | 11 years, 9 months, 15 days 4,291 days | |
19 | Parkash Singh Badal | 1996 | 2008 | 12 years 4,383 days | |
20 | Sukhbir Singh Badal | 2008 | Incumbent | 16 years, 2 months 5,927 days |
Current Members in Houses
editHouse | Current Members | Leader |
---|---|---|
Union Parliament | ||
Lok Sabha | 1 | Harsimrat Kaur Badal |
State Legislature | ||
Punjab Legislative Assembly | 3 / 117 | Manpreet Singh Ayali |
List of ministers in union government
editNo. | Name | Term in office | Portfolio | Prime Minister | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Prakash Singh Badal | 28 March 1977 | 19 June 1979 | Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India | Morarji Desai | |
2 | Surjit Singh Barnala | 18 June 1977 | 28 July 1979 | |||
19 March 1998 | 13 October 1999 | Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | |||
3 | Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa | 7 November 2000 | 22 May 2004 | |||
4 | Harsimrat Kaur Badal | 26 May 2014 | 17 September 2020 | Minister for Food Processing Industries | Narendra Modi |
Punjab Chief Ministers Belonging to Akali Dal
editChief Minister | In Office | Duration | Constituency | |
---|---|---|---|---|
From | To | |||
Gurnam Singh | 17 February 1969 | 27 March 1970 | 1 year, 1 month, 10 days (405 days) |
(-) |
Parkash Singh Badal | 27 March 1970 | 14 June 1971 | 1 year, 2 months, 18 days (433 days) |
(-) |
Parkash Singh Badal | 20 June 1977 | 17 February 1980 | 2 years, 8 months, 28 days (989 days) |
(-) |
Parkash Singh Badal | 12 February 1997 | 26 February 2002 | 5 years, 14 days (1,843 days) |
(-) |
Parkash Singh Badal | 1 March 2007 | 16 March 2017 | 10 years, 15 days (3,671 days) |
(-) |
Surjit Singh Barnala | 29 September 1985 | 11 June 1987 | 1 year, 8 months, 13 days (616 days) |
(-) |
General Elections
editGeneral Elections Results | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | General Election | Seats Won | Change in # of Seats | Percentage of Vote | Vote Swing |
1945 | 6th Central Legislative Assembly | 2 | — | — | |
1951 | 1st Lok Sabha | 4 | 2 | 0.99% | — |
1957 | 2nd Lok Sabha | 0 | 4 | — | — |
1962 | 3rd Lok Sabha | 3 | 3 | 0.72% | — |
1967 | 4th Lok Sabha | 3 | — | — | |
1971 | 5th Lok Sabha | 1 | 2 | 0.87% | — |
1977 | 6th Lok Sabha | 9 | 8 | 1.26% | — |
1980 | 7th Lok Sabha | 1 | 8 | 0.71% | — |
1984 | 8th Lok Sabha | 7 | 6 | 17.9% | — |
1989 | 9th Lok Sabha | 0 | 7 | — | — |
1991 | 10th Lok Sabha | 0 | — | — | |
1996 | 11th Lok Sabha | 8 | 8 | 0.76% | — |
1998 | 12th Lok Sabha | 8 | 0.81% | — | |
1999 | 13th Lok Sabha | 2 | 6 | 25.58% | — |
2004 | 14th Lok Sabha | 8 | 6 | 34.28% | — |
2009 | 15th Lok Sabha | 4 | 4 | 0.96% | — |
2014 | 16th Lok Sabha | 4 | 20.30% | 13.55% | |
2019 | 17th Lok Sabha | 2 | 2 | 27.45% | 13.9% |
2024 | 18th Lok Sabha | 1 | 1 | 13.42% | 14.03% |
In state elections
editPunjab Provincial Assembly Elections
editLegislative Assembly elections | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Election Year | Leader | seats contested | seats won | +/- in seats | Overall votes | % of overall votes | +/- in vote share | Sitting side |
1937 | Master Tara Singh | 81 | 11 / 175
|
1,788,856 | 5.58 | Others | ||
1946 | Master Tara Singh | 81 | 20 / 175
|
9 | 3,550,212 | 10.94 | 5.36 | Others |
Punjab Legislative Assembly Elections
editLegislative Assembly elections | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Election Year | Leader | seats contested | seats won | +/- in seats | Overall votes | % of overall votes | +/- in vote share | Sitting side |
1952 | Gopal Singh Khalsa | 48 | 13 / 126
|
13 | 620,455 | 12.44 | 12.44 | Opposition |
1957 | Contested with Congress and 28 Akali leaders won.[36] | |||||||
1962 | Gurnam Singh | 46 | 16 / 154
|
16 | 799,925 | 11.87 | 11.87 | Opposition |
1967 | Sant Fateh Singh (SFSG) | 59 | 24 / 104
|
24 | 871,742 | 20.48 | 20.48 | Opposition |
Master Tara Singh (MTSG) | 61 | 2 / 104
|
2 | 178,746 | 4.20 | 4.20 | ||
1969 | Gurnam Singh | 65 | 43 / 104
|
43 | 1,381,916 | 29.36 | 29.36 | Government |
1972 | Jaswinder Singh Brar | 72 | 24 / 104
|
19 | 1,344,437 | 27.64 | 1.72 | Opposition |
1977 | Parkash Singh Badal | 70 | 58 / 117
|
34 | 1,776,602 | 31.41 | 3.8 | Government |
1980 | Harchand Singh Longowal | 73 | 37 / 117
|
21 | 1,683,266 | 26.92 | 4.49 | Opposition |
1985 | Surjit Singh Barnala | 100 | 73 / 117
|
23 | 2,630,270 | 38.01 | 11.09 | Government |
1992 | Boycotted the elections[37][38][39] | |||||||
1997 | Parkash Singh Badal | 92 | 75 / 117
|
75 | 3,873,099 | 37.64 | 37.64 | Government |
2002 | 41 / 117
|
34 | 3,196,924 | 31.08 | 6.56 | Opposition | ||
2007 | 93 | 48 / 117
|
7 | 4,689,018 | 37.09 | 6.01 | Government | |
2012 | 94 | 56 / 117
|
8 | 4,828,612 | 34.73 | 2.36 | Government | |
2017 | 15 / 117
|
41 | 3,898,161 | 25.2 | 9.4 | Others | ||
2022 | Sukhbir Singh Badal | 97 | 3 / 117
|
12 | 2,861,286 | 18.38 | 6.86 | Others |
Haryana Legislative Assembly Elections
editLegislative Assembly elections | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Election Year | Leader | seats contested | seats won | +/- in seats | Overall votes | % of overall votes | +/- in vote share | Sitting side |
2009 | Charanjeet Kaur Mallour | 2 | 1 / 90
|
9,490,092 | 0.98 | Opposition | ||
2014 | Balkaur Singh | 5 | 1 / 90
|
12,426,968 | 0.6 | 0.38 | Others | |
2019 | Rajinder Singh Desujodha | 3 | 0 / 90
|
1 | 12,520,177 | 0.38 | 0.22 | Others |
Delhi Legislative Assembly Elections
editLegislative Assembly elections | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Election Year | Leader | seats contested | seats won | +/- in seats | Overall votes | % of overall votes | +/- in vote share | Sitting side |
2013 | Manjinder Singh Sirsa | 4 | 1 / 70
|
7,699,800 | 1 | Government | ||
2015 | Manjinder Singh Sirsa | 1 | 0 / 90
|
1 | 8,978,269 | 0.5 | 0.5 | Opposition |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ India, Student Organization of. "STUDENT ORGANIZATION OF INDIA (SOI)".
- ^ Pioneer, The. "Istri Akali Dal protests in front of CM residence". The Pioneer. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ "SAD's SC wing feels 'powerless' in Pathankot". The Indian Express. 21 May 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ Jerath, Arati R (14 January 2017). "SAD activists seek BC candidate". The Tribune. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ Grover, Verinder (1996). Encyclopaedia of India and Her States: Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab, Volume 4. Deep & Deep. p. 578.
- ^ "Akali Dal Slams Amritpal Singh Crackdown, Offers Help To Those Arrested". NDTV. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
- ^ Narang, Amarjit Singh (1 March 2014). "The Shiromani Akali Dal". The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199699308.013.020. ISBN 978-0-19-969930-8.
- ^ Kumar, Ashutosh (2004). "Electoral Politics in Punjab: Study of Akali Dal". Economic and Political Weekly. 39 (14/15): 1515–1520. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 4414869.
- ^ "'Any history of SAD has to be critical of Badals'". The Tribune India. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ I P Singh (28 July 2014). ""Panth in danger" – Badal's politics shifts back from Chandigarh to Amritsar". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ "SAD aims to widen reach, to contest UP poll". The Tribune. Chandigarh. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ Pandher, Sarabjit (3 September 2013). "In post-Independence India, the SAD launched the Punjabi Suba morcha in the 1960s, seeking the re-organisation of Punjab on linguistic basis". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ "Parkash Singh Badal calls for 'genuinely federal structure' for country". The Economic Times. 7 December 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ Bharti, Vishav (6 August 2019). "Article 370: SAD 'dumps' its core ideology of federalism". The Tribune. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ Roy, Meenu (1996). India Votes, Elections 1996: A Critical Analysis. Deep & Deep Publications. ISBN 978-81-7100-900-8.
- ^ Chum, B. K. (1 December 2013). Behind Closed Doors: Politics of Punjab, Haryana and the Emergency. Hay House, Inc. ISBN 978-93-81398-62-3.
- ^ Singh, Mahendra Prasad (1981). Split in a Predominant Party: The Indian National Congress in 1969. Abhinav publications. p. 69. ISBN 9788170171409. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
The Bharatiya Kranti Dal(BKD) and the Akali Dal, two other right-wing parties...
- ^ "List of Political Parties and Election Symbols main Notification Dated 18.01.2013" (PDF). India: Election Commission of India. 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ^ Pletcher, Kenneth. "Akali". Britannica.com. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ S., Saizel (14 January 2019). "Shiromani Akali Dal, the second oldest party of India, has made the biggest sacrifices: Sukhbir Badal". PTC News. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "Glorious past, but Shiromani Akali Dal faces serious crisis of identity, popularity & credibility". The Times of India. 14 December 2020. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ D'Souza, Shanthie Mariet (9 April 2014). "Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)". Britannica. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
The precursor to the present-day SAD was an organization established in December 1920 to help guide the quasi-militant Akali movement of the early 1920s, in which Sikhs demanded and (through the Sikh Gurdwara Act of 1925) won from the ruling British authorities in India control over the gurdwaras (Sikh houses of worship). The present-day SAD, which has claimed to be the oldest regional political party in India, has also controlled Sikh religious institutions such as the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and, more recently, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.
- ^ VINAYAK, RAMESH (31 March 1996). "Akali Dal led by Parkash Singh Badal break from the past to forge a moderate agenda". India Today. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ "Punjab's Akali Dal Quits BJP-Led Alliance Over Controversial Farm Bills". NDTV.com. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ "Punjab Ke Dangal Mein Kiska Mangal?". NewsClick. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ Bharti, Vishav. "How it became Punjabi journalism's finest hour". The Tribune. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ Jalal, The Sole Spokesman 1994, p. 23, 97.
- ^ Talbot, Pakistan: A Modern History 1998, p. 74.
- ^ Kudaisya, Gyanesh; Yong, Tan Tai (2004). The Aftermath of Partition in South Asia. Routledge. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-134-44048-1.
No sooner was it made public than the Sikhs launched a virulent campaign against the Lahore Resolution. Pakistan was portrayed as a possible return to an unhappy past when Sikhs were persecuted and Muslims the persecutor. Public speeches by various Sikh political leaders on the subject of Pakistan invariably raised images of atrocities committed by Muslims on Sikhs and of the martyrdom of their gurus and heroes. Reactions to the Lahore Resolution were uniformly negative and Sikh leaders of all political persuasions made it clear that Pakistan would be 'wholeheartedly resisted'. The Shiromani Akali Dal, the party with a substantial following amongst the rural Sikhs, organized several well-attended conferences in Lahore to condemn the Muslim League. Master Tara Singh, leader of the Akali Dal, declared that his party would fight Pakistan 'tooth and nail'. Not be outdone, other Sikh political organizations, rival to the Akali Dal, namely the Central Khalsa Young Men Union and the moderate and loyalist Chief Khalsa Dewan, declared in equally strong language their unequivocal opposition to the Pakistan scheme.
- ^ Service, Tribune News. "Shiromani Akali Dal, since 1920". The Tribune. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ Singh, I. P. (22 December 2019). "Being Badals". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ "Akali Dal split official — Dhindsas move election-commission for registration of SAD (D)". Financial Express. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
- ^ "Expelled Akali leaders launch SAD (T)". Tribune India. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ Bariana, Sanjeev Singh. "'We've sacrificed a lot in the long journey of making party relevant in Indian polity'". The Tribune. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ ""Panth in danger" – Badal's politics shifts back from Chandigarh to Amritsar". Times of India Blog. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ Electoral politics in Punjab. (Pdf) P. 38. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^ "Sikhs to boycott Punjab elections - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ Hazarika, Sanjoy (19 February 1992). "Sikh Militants in Punjab Impose Boycotts on Work and on Voting". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ Fineman, Mark (20 February 1992). "Few Defy Sikhs to Vote in Punjab : India: The 25% turnout clouds New Delhi's hopes of ending the anarchy and restoring the elected government". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
Bibliography
edit- Jalal, Ayesha (1994) [First published 1985], The Sole Spokesman: Jinnah, the Muslim League and the Demand for Pakistan, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-45850-4
- Jalal, Ayesha (2002), Self and Sovereignty: Individual and Community in South Asian Islam Since 1850, Routledge, ISBN 978-1-134-59937-0
- Talbot, Ian (1998), Pakistan: A Modern History, St. Martin's Press, ISBN 978-0-312-21606-1
- Harjinder Singh Dilgeer. Sikh Twareekh. Sikh University Press, Belgium, 2007. 5 volumes (in Punjabi)
- Harjinder Singh Dilgeer. Sikh History. Sikh University Press, Belgium, 2010–11. 10 volumes
- Harjinder Singh Dilgeer. Shiromani Akali Dal (1920-2000). Sikh University Press, Belgium, 2001.
- Harjinder Singh Dilgeer. NAVAN MAHAN KOSH (DILGEER KOSH, ਦਿਲਗੀਰ ਕੋਸ਼). Sikh University Press, England, 2021.