Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday returned to the helm of the Shiromani Akali Dal with his unanimous election as the president of the Punjab-based party which has been struggling due to a series of crushing losses and a shrinking vote share.
The 62-year-old former deputy chief minister was first elected the party president in 2008 -- the youngest person to occupy the post.
His re-election at the outfit's general delegate session in Amritsar comes barely four months after he resigned when he was declared 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct) by the Akal Takht for "mistakes" committed by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and its government from 2007 to 2017.
Badal had survived an assassination attempt by a former Khalistani terrorist at Amritsar's Golden Temple while performing sewa (service) as penance in December last year.
"I thank all for entrusting me with this responsibility. I promise the people that Punjab will again be turned into a number one state," Badal said after the party's election officer, Gulzar Singh Ranike, declared his name as the new president.
Badal, the son of late party patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, was the only candidate for the post of SAD president.
Reviving the political fortunes of the party amid dissent in the ranks is seen as the biggest challenge for Badal.
The session for electing SAD's new president was held at the Teja Singh Samundari hall in the Sri Darbar Sahib complex in Amritsar. Badal's name was proposed by the party's working president, Balwinder Singh Bhundar, while party leaders Paramjit Singh Sarna and Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal seconded it.
Several senior party leaders, including Badal's wife and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, former minister Bikram Singh Majithia and Daljit Singh Cheema, were present.
After his election of Badal as president, the SAD launched a social media campaign, hailing him 'Vikas Pursh' (a champion of development).
On November 16, 2024, Badal tendered his resignation from the party president post after he was found guilty of religious misconduct by the Akal Takht for "mistakes" committed by the SAD and its government from 2007 to 2017.
In January this year, his resignation was accepted by the working committee of the party. The SAD, later, conducted the new membership drive.
Badal was declared 'tankhaiya' after rebel party leaders including Prem Singh Chandumajra, former SGPC Jagir Kaur and other leaders had appeared before the Akal Takht on July 1, 2024, and sought forgiveness for four "mistakes" during the Shiromani Akali Dal regime between 2007 and 2017.
These were failure to punish those responsible for 2015 sacrilege incidents and pardoning Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a 2007 blasphemy case.
The Akal Takht on December 2 last year pronounced religious punishment for Sukhbir Singh Badal and other leaders in the matter.
The highest temporal seat of Sikhs had also directed the SAD to accept the resignation of Sukhbir Badal as party chief, besides forming a committee to hold elections for the post of SAD president and office-bearers within six months.
Later, Badal and other senior leaders underwent religious punishment.
Though the Akal Takht had formed the committee for starting the new membership drive, the SAD went ahead with its own panel, drawing criticism from rebel party leaders for defying the Akal Takht directive.
Though the SAD completed its membership drive and elected delegates, the Akal Takht-appointed committee which comprised rebel leaders including Gurpartap Singh Wadala, SAD MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali began a membership drive for the party on March 18.
Badal and other party leaders again came under severe criticism following the removal of three Jathedars -- Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, Takht Kesgarh Sahib Jathedar Giani Sultan Singh and Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh -- by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
These three Jathedars were part of the five Sikh high priests who had issued an edict against Badal and other leaders on December 2 last year.
The 104-year-old SAD has been facing a crisis with its political fortunes dwindling over the past several years under Badal's leadership.
In 2007, SAD formed the government in alliance with the BJP and they retained power in 2012. But in 2017, Congress wrested power. The Akali Dal's tally was reduced to 15 and Aam Aadmi Party became the main opposition.
The party suffered its worst defeat in Punjab in 2022, winning only three seats out of 117, while the AAP came to power in the state for the first time.
The Badal-led SAD faced another drubbing in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as it managed to win only the Bathinda parliamentary constituency out of a total of 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. The SAD also saw a drop in its vote share from 27.45 per cent in 2019 to 13.42 per cent in 2024 polls.
The SAD broke ties with the BJP over the issue of now-repealed farm laws in 2020.
The party also faced the worst rebellion with many leaders openly revolting against Badal following the SAD's debacle in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Punjab.
The rebel leaders had been demanding the implementation of the Jhunda committee report which mainly had recommended change in the leadership.
The SAD had set up the Iqbal Singh Jhundan-led committee to analyse the reasons for its humiliating defeat in the 2022 Punjab assembly polls.
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