Sukhbir, who has taken over the party from patriarch and former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, will make a comeback to General Elections after a gap of almost two decades if he gives a nod for it.
Fearing losing its strong footing in the state they have ruled several times, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will bring into fray party president Sukhbir Singh Badal from one of the two significant seats for the party. He will contest from either Ferozpur or Bathinda - both considered bastions of the regional party, in a bid to revive its sliding fortunes in Punjab.
Sukhbir who has taken over the party from patriarch and former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, will make a comeback to General Elections after a gap of almost two decades if he gives his nod for it. It will also make him the second member from the Badal family to seek mandate in Parliamentary polls.
The Jalalabad MLA last remained in office as MP in 2004 from Faridkot. He then completely moved to state politics, serving twice as deputy chief minister during the two consecutive terms of SAD from 2009 to 2017. The party which is embattling internal strife, defection and public ire over desecration issue, want to send a strong message to opponents by fielding junior Badal from either of the two stronghold. His wife and cabinet minister Harsimrat is sitting MP from Bathinda.
Sources in the party said that it is still not decided whether he will be fielded from Bathinda or Ferozpur but it’s clear that he will be a contender. “They are brainstorming very minutely because they can not afford to lose these seats. The party has held onto the Ferozpur seat for the past five LS polls. It is more important to secure a win here since the sitting SAD MP Sher Singh Ghubaya from here defected to Congress last month. Muchh da sawal hai hun (It is a matter of prestige now),” said a senior party leader. The party, meanwhile, has negated the possibility of fielding senior Badal in these elections till now even though it has announced candidature on five key seats.
The provincial party is on the back foot since it embarrassingly lost to Congress in 2017 Vidhan Sabha polls, not qualifying as primary opposition. It has also faced backlash from public for alleged mishandling of the case related to desecration of Guru Granth Sahib, denting its declining favour amongst the electorate further. To add to its woes, some old-timers have also defected and formed splinter groups, altering the dynamics of upcoming elections.
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