Amritsar, Aug 11: The Akal Takht-constituted five-member committee on Monday unanimously elected former Akal Takht acting Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh as president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and appointed Bibi Satwant Kaur as chairperson of the Panthak Council.
The panel, which included rebel Akali leaders, was formed through an edict issued by the highest temporal Sikh seat on December 2 last year. Its mandate was to conduct a membership drive for the party and hold organisational elections.
The SAD, however, refused to recognise the Takht-constituted body, running its own membership campaign instead and leaving the panel’s status uncertain. In April, the party re-elected Sukhbir Singh Badal as its president.
SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema referred to the directions issued on December 2, 2024, by then Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, saying they were meant to strengthen the party. “The move was aimed at consolidating the SAD,” Cheema said.
