The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD; transl. Supreme Eternal Party) is a centre-right and Sikh-centric state-level political party in Punjab, India. It is the second-oldest party in India, after Congress, being founded in 1920. Although there are many parties with the description Akali Dal, the party that is recognised 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. On 26 September 2020, it left the National Democratic Alliance over the farm bills.
History
British India
Akali 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. Akali movement influenced 30 new Punjabi newspapers launched between 1920 and 1925.
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.
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.
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.
Post Independence India
In 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. In 1966, the present Punjab was formed. Akali Dal came to power in the new Punjab in March 1967, 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.
List of breakaway parties or other Akali factions
| Year(s) | Party | Abbr. | Leader | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962-1968 | Akali Dal – Sant Fateh Singh Group | AD – SFS | Sant Fateh Singh | Defunct (merged back into Shiromani Akali Dal) |
| Akali Dal – Master Tara Singh Group | AD – MTS | Master Tara Singh | ||
| 1980-1995 | Akali Dal – Jagdev Singh Talwandi Group | AD (T) | Jagdev Singh Talwandi | Defunct (merged back into Shiromani Akali Dal) |
| 1985-1994 (1st time) | United Akali Dal (Known as "Akali Dal – Mann Group") | UAD | Baba Joginder Singh, Simranjit Singh Mann | Defunct (merged into Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)) |
| 1986-1995 | Akali Dal – Parkash Singh Badal Group | AD (B) | Parkash Singh Badal | Defunct (consolidated power over main Shiromani Akali Dal) |
| 1991-1997 | Shiromani Akali Dal (Panthic) | SAD (P) | Captain Amarinder Singh | Defunct (merged into Indian National Congress) |
| 1992-1994 | Akali Dal – Babbar Group | AD (Babbar) | Jasmer Singh Bala | Defunct (merged into Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)) |
| Akali Dal – Manjit Singh Group | AD (M) | Manjit Singh (AISSF) | ||
| Akali Dal – Kabul Singh Group | AD (K) | Kabul Singh | ||
| 1992-1995 | Akali Dal – Sukhjinder Khaira Group | AD (S) | Sukhjinder Singh Khaira | Defunct (merged back into Shiromani Akali Dal) |
| 1994 | Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) | SAD (A) | Simranjit Singh Mann | active |
| 1996-2004 (1st time) | Shiromani Akali Dal (Democratic) | SAD (D) | Kuldip Singh Wadala | Defunct (merged back into Shiromani Akali Dal) |
| 1999-2003 | Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal | SHSAD | Gurcharan Singh Tohra | Defunct (merged back into Shiromani Akali Dal) |
| 1999 | Shiromani Akali Dal Delhi | SADD | Paramjit Singh Sarna | active |
| 2004-2007 (1st time) | Shiromani Akali Dal (Longowal) | SAD (L) | Surjit Kaur Barnala | Defunct (merged back into Shiromani Akali Dal) |
| 2011-2016 | People's Party of Punjab | PPoP | Manpreet Singh Badal | Defunct (merged into Indian National Congress) |
| 2014 | Akali Dal (1920) | AD (1920) | Ravi Inder Singh | active |
| 2014 (2nd time) | Shiromani Akali Dal (Longowal) | SAD (L) | Surjit Kaur Barnala | Defunct (merged into Indian National Congress) |
| 2014-2020 (2nd time) | United Akali Dal | UAD | Bhai Mokham Singh | Defunct (merged into Shiromani Akali Dal (Democratic)) |
| 2018-2021 | Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali) | SAD (T) | Ranjit Singh Brahmpura | Defunct (merged into Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt)) |
| 2020-2021 (2nd time) | Shiromani Akali Dal (Democratic) | SAD (D) | Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa | Defunct (merged into Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt)) |
| 2021-2024 | Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) | SAD (S) | Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa | Defunct (merged back into Shiromani Akali Dal) |
| 2025 | Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) | SAD (PS) | Giani Harpreet Singh | active |
| 2025 | Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) | AD (WPD) | Amritpal Singh | active |
Ideology
Shiromani Akali Dal's main goals are the protection of Sikh rights, Punjab's waters, and opposition to the Sutlej Yamuna link canal.
1996 Moga Conference
In 1996, at a historic conference in Moga, Shiromani Akali Dal adopted a moderate Punjabi agenda and shifted party headquarters from Amritsar to Chandigarh.
Party Presidents
Following 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 1919 | 27 March 1920 | 1 year, 39 days |
| 2 | Kharak Singh | -- | -- | -- | |
| 3 | Master Tara Singh | -- | -- | -- | |
| 4 | Gopal Singh Qaumi | -- | -- | -- | |
| 5 | Tara Singh Thethar | -- | -- | -- | —- |
| 6 | Teja Singh Akarpuri | -- | 1945 | -- | |
| 7 | Babu Labh Singh | -- | 1945 | 9 March 1947 | 2 years, 67 days |
| 8 | Udham Singh Nagoke | -- | -- | -- | |
| 9 | Giani Kartar Singh | -- | -- | -- | —- |
| 10 | Pritam Singh Gojran (Gujjran Sangrur) | -- | -- | -- | —- |
| 11 | Hukam Singh | -- | -- | -- | —- |
| 1968: Reunification of Akali Dal – Master Tara Singh Group and Akali Dal – Sant Fateh Singh Group | |||||
| 12 | Fateh Singh | -- | -- | -- | —- |
| 13 | Achar Singh | -- | -- | -- | —- |
| 14 | Bhupinder Singh | -- | -- | -- | —- |
| 15 | Mohan Singh Tur | -- | 1978 | -- | |
| 16 | Jagdev Singh Talwandi | 1978 | 1980 | 2 years, 0 days | |
| 17 | Harchand Singh Longowal | 1980 | 20 August 1985 | 5 years, 231 days | |
| 18 | Surjit Singh Barnala | 27 September 1985 | 1996 | 10 years, 96 days | |
| 1995: Reunification of Akali Dal – Parkash Singh Badal Group, Akali Dal – Jagdev Singh Talwandi Group, Akali Dal - Tohra Group, Akali Dal – Sukhjinder Khaira Group, and Shiromani Akali Dal (Longowal) | |||||
| 19 | Parkash Singh Badal | 1996 | 2008 | 12 years, 0 days | |
| 20 | Sukhbir Singh Badal | 2008 | 29 August 2024 | 16 years, 241 days | |
| 2024: Factional split | |||||
| 21 | Balwinder Singh Bhunder | 29 August 2024 | 12 April 2025 | 226 days | |
| 22 | Sukhbir Singh Badal | 12 April 2025 | Present | 1 year, 168 days | |
Current Members in Houses
| House | Current Members | Leader |
|---|---|---|
| Union Parliament | ||
| Lok Sabha | 1 | Harsimrat Kaur Badal |
| State Legislature | ||
| Punjab Legislative Assembly | 1 / 117 | Ganieve Kaur Majithia |
List of Union Leaders
| No. | Portrait | Name | Term in office | Duration | Portfolio | Prime Minister | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parkash Singh Badal | 26 March 1977 | 27 March 1977 | 1 day | Minister of Communications | Morarji Desai | ||
| 28 March 1977 | 17 June 1977 | 81 days | Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation | |||||
| 2 | Surjit Singh Barnala | 18 June 1977 | 28 July 1979 | 2 years, 40 days | ||||
| 19 March 1998 | 13 October 1999 | 1 year, 208 days | Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | ||||
| Minister of Food and Consumer Affairs | ||||||||
| 3 | Sukhbir Singh Badal | 20 March 1998 | 13 October 1999 | 1 year, 207 days | Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry | |||
| 4 | Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa | 22 November 1999 | 26 November 1999 | 4 days | Minister of Works and Estates (Merged with Ministry of Urban Development) | |||
| 7 November 2000 | 22 May 2004 | 3 years, 197 days | Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers | |||||
| 27 May 2000 | 7 November 2000 | 164 days | Minister of Mines | |||||
| 2 February 2000 | 7 November 2000 | 279 days | Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports | |||||
| 5 | Harsimrat Kaur Badal | 27 May 2014 | 30 May 2019 | 5 years, 3 days | Minister of Food Processing Industries | Narendra Modi | ||
| 31 May 2019 | 18 September 2020 | 1 year, 110 days | ||||||
List of Chief Ministers
| Sr. No. | Portrait | Chief Minister | Constituency | In Office | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | |||||
| 1 | Gurnam Singh (1899–1973) |
Qila Raipur | 17 February 1969 | 27 March 1970 | 1 year, 38 days | |
| 2 | Surjit Singh Barnala (1925–2017) |
Barnala | 29 September 1985 | 11 June 1987 | 1 year, 255 days | |
| 3 | Parkash Singh Badal (1927–2023) |
Gidderbaha | 27 March 1970 | 14 June 1971 | 1 year, 79 days | |
| 20 June 1977 | 17 February 1980 | 2 years, 242 days | ||||
| Lambi | 12 February 1997 | 26 February 2002 | 5 years, 14 days | |||
| 1 March 2007 | 14 March 2012 | 5 years, 13 days | ||||
| 14 March 2012 | 16 March 2017 | 5 years, 2 days | ||||
List of Deputy Chief Ministers
| Sr. No. | Name (constituency) (birth-death) |
Portrait | Term of office | Chief Minister | Appointed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sukhbir Singh Badal ( -) (born 1962) |
21 January 2009 | 1 July 2009 | 161 days | Prakash Singh Badal | S. F. Rodrigues | |
| 2 | Sukhbir Singh Badal (Jalalabad) (born 1962) |
10 August 2009 | 14 March 2012 | 2 years, 217 days | |||
| 14 March 2012 | 16 March 2017 | 5 years, 2 days | Shivraj Patil | ||||
General Elections
| General 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
Punjab Provincial Assembly Elections
| Legislative 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
| Legislative 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. | |||||||
| 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 | |||||||
| 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 | 1 / 117
|
12 | 2,861,286 | 18.38 | 6.86 | Others |
Haryana Legislative Assembly Elections
| Legislative 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 | Coalition | |
| 2019 | Rajinder Singh Desujodha | 3 | 0 / 90
|
1 | 12,520,177 | 0.38 | 0.22 | Extra-parliamentary |
Delhi Legislative Assembly Elections
| Legislative 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 | Extra-parliamentary |
Core Committee
| Sr. No. | Name (constituency) (birth) |
Portrait | Term of office | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sarabjeet Singh Jhinjer ( -) (born 1982) |
8 June 2023 | 16 July 2024 | 1 year, 38 days | |
