Shiromani Akali Dal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shiromani Akali Dal
President	Sukhbir Singh Badal
Lok Sabha leader	Harsimrat Kaur Badal
Founded	14 December 1920 (104 years ago) (1920-12-14)
Headquarters	Block #6, Madhya Marg Sector 28, Chandigarh
Newspaper	Akali Awaaz
Student wing	Student Organisation of India
Youth wing	Youth Akali Dal
Women's wing	Istri Akali Dal
Labour wing	Shiromani Akali Dal SC wing
Peasant's wing	Shiromani Akali Dal BC wing
Ideology	Punjabiyat Punjabi nationalism Conservatism Federalism
Political position	Centre-right
Colours	Navy Blue & Saffron
ECI Status	State Party
Alliance	SAD+BSP (2021-2023) SAD+INLD (2021-2023) National Democratic Alliance (1998–2020)
Seats in Lok Sabha	2 / 543
Seats in Rajya Sabha	0 / 245
Seats in Punjab Legislative Assembly	3 / 117
Election symbol
Elections

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is a political party in Punjab, India. Its name means Supreme Army of God. This party mainly represents the Sikh community.

It is one of the oldest political parties in India. It was started in 1920. The Shiromani Akali Dal is led by Sukhbir Singh Badal. The party focuses on issues important to Punjab and its people. In 2020, they left a big political group called the NDA because of disagreements over new farming laws.

History of the Shiromani Akali Dal

How the Party Started in British India

The Akali Dal was formed on December 14, 1920. It began as a group to help the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee. This committee is a main religious body for Sikhs. The Akali Dal sees itself as the main voice for Sikhs.

Sardar Sarmukh Singh Chubbal was the first president. But the party became very well known under Master Tara Singh. The Akali movement also helped start many new Punjabi newspapers between 1920 and 1925.

In the 1937 elections, the Akali Dal won 10 seats. They were in the opposition, meaning they were not part of the ruling government. In the 1946 elections, they won 22 seats. They joined a government with the Indian National Congress.

Master Tara Singh and the Akali Dal did not want Punjab to be divided. They worried about how Sikhs would be treated if Punjab was split. They supported the idea of "Azad Punjab," which means "Free Punjab."

After India Became Independent

In the 1950s, the party started the Punjabi Suba movement. They wanted a separate state for people who spoke Punjabi. This movement was led by Sant Fateh Singh. In 1966, the Punjab we know today was created.

The Akali Dal came to power in Punjab in March 1967. However, early governments did not last long. This was due to disagreements within the party. Later, the party became stronger. Its governments then completed their full terms.

New Groups within the Akali Dal

Over time, some new groups formed from the main Shiromani Akali Dal.

• In 2018, some senior members left the party. They formed the SAD (T). They said the Badal family was leading the main party in the wrong direction.
• In 2020, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and other leaders started SAD (D). Dhindsa said his group was the true Akali Dal.

Before the 2022 Punjab elections, both SAD (T) and SAD (D) joined together. They formed a new party called Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt). This new party then joined the National Democratic Alliance for the elections.

Party Goals and Ideas

The main goals of the Shiromani Akali Dal are:

• Protecting the rights of Sikhs.
• Protecting Punjab's water resources.
• Opposing the Sutlej Yamuna link canal.

The 1996 Moga Conference

In 1996, the Shiromani Akali Dal held an important meeting in Moga. At this meeting, they decided to focus on a more general Punjabi agenda. They also moved their main office from Amritsar to Chandigarh.

Leaders of the Party

Here is a list of the presidents of the Shiromani Akali Dal:

S. No.	Name	Portrait	Term Start	Term End
1	Sarmukh Singh Jhabal	?	14 December 1920	?
2	Kharak Singh		?	?
3	Master Tara Singh		?	?
4	Gopal Singh Qaumi		?	?
5	Tara Singh Thethar	?	?	?
6	Teja Singh Akarpuri		?	?
7	Babu Labh Singh	?	?	?
8	Udham Singh Nagoke		?	?
9	Giani Kartar Singh	?	?	?
10	Pritam Singh Gojran (Gujjran Sangrur)	?	?	?
11	Hukam Singh		?	?
12	Fateh Singh	?	?	?
13	Achar Singh	?	?	?
14	Bhupinder Singh	?	?	?
15	Mohan Singh Tur		?	?
16	Jagdev Singh Talwandi		?	?
17	Harchand Singh Longowal		?	20 August 1985
18	Surjit Singh Barnala		27 September 1985	1996
19	Parkash Singh Badal		1996	2008
20	Sukhbir Singh Badal		2008	Incumbent

Members in Government Bodies

The Shiromani Akali Dal has members in different government bodies:

Chief Ministers from Akali Dal in Punjab

Several leaders from the Akali Dal have served as the Chief Minister of Punjab:

Election Results

National Elections (Lok Sabha)

The Akali Dal has taken part in many national elections for the Lok Sabha. Here's how they have performed:

Year	Election	Seats won	Change in seats	Percentage of vote
1945	6th Central Legislative Assembly	2	2
1951	1st Lok Sabha	4		0.99%
1957	2nd Lok Sabha	0	4
1962	3rd Lok Sabha	3	3	0.72%
1967	4th Lok Sabha	0	3
1971	5th Lok Sabha	1	1	0.87%
1977	6th Lok Sabha	9	8	1.26%
1980	7th Lok Sabha	1	8	0.71%
1984	8th Lok Sabha	7	7	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%
2019	17th Lok Sabha	2	2

State Elections in Punjab

The Akali Dal also takes part in elections for the Punjab Legislative Assembly.

Provincial Assembly elections (before 1947)
Election Year	Seats won	Change
1937	11
1946	20	9

Legislative Assembly elections (after 1947)
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	13	620,455	12.44	12.44	Left (Opposition)
1957	Contested with Congress and 28 Akali leaders won.
1962	Gurnam Singh	46	16	16	799,925	11.87	11.87	Left (Opposition)
1967	Sant Fateh Singh (SFSG)	59	24	24	871,742	20.48	20.48	Left (Opposition)
	Master Tara Singh (MTSG)	61	2	2	178,746	4.20	4.20
1969	Gurnam Singh	65	43	43	1,381,916	29.36	29.36	Right (Government)
1972	Jaswinder Singh Brar	72	24	19	1,344,437	27.64	1.72	Left (Opposition)
1977	Parkash Singh Badal	70	58	34	1,776,602	31.41	3.8	Right (Government)
1980	Harchand Singh Longowal	73	37	21	1,683,266	26.92	4.49	Left (Opposition)
1985	Surjit Singh Barnala	100	73	23	2,630,270	38.01	11.09	Right (Government)
1992	The party did not take part in these elections.
1997	Parkash Singh Badal	92	75	75	3,873,099	37.64	37.64	Right (Government)
2002			41	34	3,196,924	31.08	6.56	Left (Opposition)
2007		93	48	7	4,689,018	37.09	6.01	Right (Government)
2012		94	56	8	4,828,612	34.73	2.36	Right (Government)
2017			15	41	3,898,161	25.2	9.4	Left (Opposition)
2022	Sukhbir Singh Badal	97	3	12	2,861,286	18.38	6.86	Left (Opposition)

Other State Elections

The Akali Dal has also taken part in elections in other states like Haryana and Delhi:

• 2009 Haryana Assembly election
• 2014 Haryana Assembly election
• 2013 Delhi Assembly election
• 2015 Delhi Assembly election

See also

In Spanish: Partido Akali para niños

• Other Akali Dal groups
• Sikhism
• Tara Singh
• Babu Labh Singh
• Akali (disambiguation)
• Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt)
• List of political parties in India