This re-election marks a return to the helm for Badal, who had voluntarily stepped down from the party’s leadership last year.

In a show of strong internal support, Sukhbir Singh Badal was on Saturday re-elected unopposed as the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). The decision came during a key party meeting where 524 delegates from across Punjab and other states voted in his favour.

This re-election marks a return to the helm for Badal, who had voluntarily stepped down from the party’s leadership last year. First chosen to lead SAD in 2008, he succeeded his father, the iconic Prakash Singh Badal, and went on to guide the party through multiple election cycles and political transitions in Punjab.

Badal’s unopposed return is seen as a reaffirmation of faith by the party cadre, especially as SAD navigates shifting alliances and seeks to regain its influence in state politics.

With his reappointment, the focus now shifts to how Sukhbir Badal will reshape SAD’s strategy and reconnect with its traditional voter base in a changing political landscape.