Akal Takht Panel Calls Punjabis to Join SAD Membership Drive at Golden Temple on March 18

Amritsar, March 17: The five-member panel appointed by Akal Takht to oversee the election of new leadership for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has urged Punjabis to gather at the Golden Temple on March 18 for the commencement of the party’s membership drive.

Speaking on behalf of the panel, senior SAD leader Manpreet Ayali, along with fellow panelists Gurpartap Wadala, Santa Umaidpuri, Satwant Kaur, and Iqbal Jhunda, extended the invitation to Sikhs, Punjabis, and all Panthic supporters. “I appeal to the Sikhs, Punjabis, and all those devoted to the Panth to reach the Golden Temple on March 18, where the membership drive will begin at 11 am after the ‘ardaas’,” Ayali stated.

The Akal Takht panel’s call for membership recruitment comes amid a standoff with the current SAD leadership, which had already launched its own membership drive on January 20. The SAD has been conducting its membership enrollment independently, in direct defiance of the Akal Takht panel’s authority.

SAD spokesperson Daljit Cheema previously warned that a parallel membership drive conducted in the name of the party could lead to legal consequences. “The SAD is a registered political party with a constitution, formation records, accounts, and other official endorsements from the Election Commission. As per the party constitution, no one can enroll members under the name and banner of SAD without authorization,” Cheema stated. He further asserted that any attempt to do so would be deemed illegitimate.

The SAD’s ongoing membership drive is expected to conclude with an organizational election, also scheduled for March 18. The party claims to have enrolled over 32 lakh members in its latest recruitment campaign.

The development has intensified the ongoing power struggle within the SAD, as the Akal Takht panel’s move is seen as an effort to assert control over the party’s leadership and decision-making process. Political analysts believe that the unfolding events could lead to a significant shift in the party’s future trajectory.

With tensions rising, all eyes are now set on March 18, as the outcome of the membership drive and subsequent organizational poll will shape the future of one of Punjab’s oldest and most influential political parties.