Jalalabad was once considered the undisputed political fortress of the Badal family. Yet despite Sukhbir Singh Badal personally campaigning, the Shiromani Akali Dal could win only one ward while the AAP swept the Municipal Council. This raises a bigger question: Is Jalalabad signalling that Sukhbir Badal's political influence is no longer what it once was, or are local body elections too small to measure the strength of a leader preparing for the much bigger battle of 2027 ? Can the Akali Dal still script a statewide comeback if cracks are beginning to appear even in its traditional strongholds ?
