How would you rate the impact of Sukhbir Badal’s leadership on the decline of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) from a dominant force to just one seat in the 2024 elections?
Baljit Singh Jalalusma was announced by Sukhbir Singh Badal as the Shiromani Akali Dal candidate from Baba Bakala in 2022 after internal disagreements in the party were settled. A former SGPC member and Ex-MLA, Jalalusma had the backing of the top leadership, but still finished behind AAP and Congress. So looking ahead to 2027, the real question is, does Baljit Singh Jalalusma remain Akali Dal’s best bet in Baba Bakala or did the 2022 result show that leadership backing alone is no longer enough to win this seat ?
2022 में शिरोमणि अकाली दल के अध्यक्ष सुखबीर सिंह बादल ने आंतरिक मतभेद सुलझाने के बाद बाबा बकाला से बलजीत सिंह जलालुस्मा को पार्टी उम्मीदवार घोषित किया था। पूर्व S.G.P.C. सदस्य और पूर्व विधायक होने के बावजूद, और शीर्ष नेतृत्व का समर्थन मिलने के बाद भी, जलालुस्मा AAP और कांग्रेस से पीछे रह गए। तो 2027 की ओर देखते हुए असली सवाल यह है, क्या बलजीत सिंह जलालुस्मा अब भी बाबा बकाला में अकाली दल का सबसे मजबूत विकल्प हैं या 2022 के नतीजों ने दिखा दिया कि सिर्फ नेतृत्व का समर्थन अब जीत के लिए काफी नहीं है ?
In Budhlada, Dr. Nishan Singh Hakamwala secured 36,591 votes (22.9%) on an Akali Dal ticket in 2022, finishing a clear second but far behind AAP’s landslide victory. Despite a respectable showing, the gap was wide and decisive. So the real question moving toward 2027 is, does Dr. Hakamwala represent a stable Akali vote base in Budhlada or does his result underline how the party is surviving on residual loyalty rather than real momentum on the ground ?
