Waris Punjab De Emerges as New Challenger to Akali Dal in Punjab's Panthic Space
Shiromani Akali Dal faces a fresh contest from Amritpal Singh-led Waris Punjab De, whose 2024 Lok Sabha win and recent political additions have reshaped Punjab's Panthic landscape.
Punjab's political landscape is seeing a new contest take shape ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, with the Shiromani Akali Dal confronting an emerging challenger in Amritpal Singh-led Waris Punjab De.
The rivalry carries particular weight in the Panthic space, a constituency the Akali Dal has historically claimed as its own. Waris Punjab De gained a significant political foothold when Amritpal Singh won the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat in 2024, and the outfit is now working to widen its presence before the next Assembly polls.
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal has made the group a central target of his public campaign, repeatedly attacking Amritpal and his organisation at rallies. He has called Waris Punjab De a "virus" and questioned Amritpal's political credentials, while also raising the 2023 Ajnala incident and Amritpal's political ascent after his return from Dubai.
Badal has further alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party is using Waris Punjab De to split the Panthic vote, claiming an understanding exists between the two. The allegation is one the parties concerned would need to address.
The contest has acquired a new dimension with Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali joining the Waris Punjab De camp. His entry has raised the outfit's visibility in the Malwa region and extended the battle beyond Amritpal's Khadoor Sahib base. Sukhbir Badal has since stepped up his criticism of both Amritpal and Ayali, questioning their political and religious positioning.
The competition was on display at the Chhapar Mela, where SAD and Waris Punjab De stood out as rival political formations, underlining the intensifying tussle for the Panthic electorate.
For the Akali Dal, the challenge extends beyond AAP, the Congress and the BJP to retaining its traditional support base against a new formation building an alternative Panthic identity. For Waris Punjab De, the 2027 election will be the first real test of whether Amritpal's electoral appeal can be converted into a broader political organisation.
The SAD-Waris Punjab De rivalry is shaping up as one of the key sub-plots of the 2027 polls, with the contest shifting from rallies and rhetoric to a ground-level fight for Assembly constituencies.