Punjab Politics in 2024: SAD Split, Sukhbir Badal’s ‘Tankhai’ and Assassination Bid

Punjab : 2024 was a dramatic year in Punjab politics, marked by intense developments for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). The party not only faced a major internal split but also saw its former chief, Sukhbir Singh Badal, being declared “tankhaiya” (guilty of violating the Sikh religious code). Adding to the turmoil, an assassination attempt was made on Badal by Khalistani militant Narayan Singh Chaura at the Golden Temple.

The weakened position of the Akali Dal created a political vacuum, which was quickly filled by radical elements. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, leaders like Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh and Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, the son of Beant Singh’s assassin, Indira Gandhi’s killer, won in the Khadoor Sahib and Faridkot constituencies.

For the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the shifting power dynamics saw senior Hindu leader Aman Arora replacing CM Bhagwant Mann as the state unit head. Meanwhile, the Congress made a partial comeback, securing seven out of the 13 Lok Sabha seats but failed to retain several key Assembly seats, including Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, and Chabbewal, while also losing Barnala to AAP in a by-election.

Factionalism within the Congress continued to affect its unity, despite its status as the principal opposition party. The AAP, however, gained momentum, winning four of the six Assembly byelections, along with successes in panchayat and civic body elections.

Amidst this political churn, Punjab also witnessed farmer protests at Shambhu and Khanauri, which took on added political significance as Congress accused the BJP of trying to undermine Punjab’s agrarian community.

The BJP, which had severed its alliance with SAD, entered the political fray on its own in the 2024 parliamentary elections, boosting its vote share from 9.63% in 2019 to 19.56% in 2024. However, the party still struggled to secure any seats, underscoring its lack of widespread appeal across both urban and rural areas.

With SAD’s absence in the byelections, the BJP’s efforts to appeal to voters who typically rejected both Congress and AAP turned out to be ineffective. Despite calls from opposition parties, including Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar, for the revival of a moderate Akali Dal to counter radical influences, the party’s future remained uncertain.

The political landscape in Punjab remained in flux through the year, punctuated by a series of elections – from the Lok Sabha polls to the Assembly by-elections, followed by high-stakes panchayat and civic body elections. This year of political turbulence left all major parties scrambling to adapt to the shifting tides in Punjab.