By Asia Samachar | Panjab |
The resignation of Panjab MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali from Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) may prove to be more than just another political exit in Panjab’s fluid landscape.
Coming days after former Panjab minister Surjit Singh Rakhra abandoned the party for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Ayali’s departure has intensified questions over whether the fledgling breakaway faction can still emerge as a credible Panthic alternative to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) led by Sukhbir Singh Badal ahead of the 2027 Panjab elections.
The developments are particularly significant because SAD (Punar Surjit) was born out of an unprecedented crisis within the traditional Akali establishment following years of electoral decline, Panthic discontent and the fallout from sacrilege controversies that severely damaged the party’s standing among sections of the Sikh community.
SAD (Punar Surjit) emerged in 2025 as a breakaway faction from the traditional SAD amid growing dissatisfaction over the leadership of Sukhbir Badal and the party’s handling of key Panthic issues.
The term “Punar Surjit” means “revived” or “reorganised”, reflecting efforts to rebuild the Akali movement after the Akal Takht’s intervention against senior SAD leaders in December 2024. The faction became associated with former Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, who was seen as a moral and Panthic influence behind attempts to forge a reformed Sikh political platform.
Ayali was among the central figures in that effort.
As reported by The Indian Express, he served as convener of an eight-member “Panthic unity coordination committee” formed jointly by SAD (Punar Surjit) and Akali Dal Waris Punjab De, the outfit associated with jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh.
The committee was tasked with forging a common political understanding among Panthic forces opposed to the SAD leadership under Sukhbir Badal.
However, those efforts began unravelling in recent weeks.
Waris Punjab De eventually withdrew from the alliance-building process, citing unresolved “fundamental and crucial ideological issues”, according to local media reports.
Ayali’s resignation followed soon after.
In a video statement announcing his decision, Ayali said leaders who had “lost the moral right” to remain associated with Akali politics following the Akal Takht hukamnama were nevertheless accommodated within the new faction.
Without naming individuals, he suggested that some leaders should have temporarily stayed away from party affairs to allow the movement to regain public trust.
The remarks were widely interpreted as reflecting growing dissatisfaction over the direction of the party and its internal leadership choices.
The Indian Express also reported that Ayali was unhappy with what he viewed as sections of the leadership “cozying up” to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a politically sensitive issue in Punjab after the fallout from the farm laws agitation.
The resignation gains further weight when viewed alongside the recent departure of Rakhra.
Rakhra, a former Punjab minister and longtime Akali heavyweight, had joined SAD (Punar Surjit) after distancing himself from Sukhbir Badal. But earlier this month, he crossed over to AAP after being expelled by the breakaway faction for alleged “anti-party activities”.
His move was seen as a major setback because he represented one of the most recognisable senior leaders to align with the anti-Badal camp.
Another blow came in April when Barjinder Singh Brar, son of former minister Tota Singh, resigned from SAD (Punar Surjit) and later returned to the parent SAD.
Together, the exits point to growing instability within a faction that had initially hoped to consolidate anti-Badal sentiment into a united Panthic political front.
Political observers note that Panjab’s Panthic vote has historically fragmented whenever multiple Sikh-centred political formations compete simultaneously. The inability of SAD (Punar Surjit), Waris Punjab De and other dissident Akali elements to sustain unity may ultimately benefit the traditional SAD, even as the party continues to grapple with its own credibility challenges.
For now, Ayali’s departure appears to symbolise the deepening fragmentation of the very movement that had once promised to reshape Sikh politics in Panjab.
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RELATED STORY:
Manpreet Ayali quits SAD faction ahead of Panjab’s 2027 polls (Asia Samachar, 21 May 2026)
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