Ravi Dhaliwal
Gurdaspur, April 1
The numerous introspection exercises initiated by Akalis in Gurdaspur district have collectively concluded that the party needed “massive changes” in its structure if it had to maintain its relevance.
Not long ago, Gurdaspur was once considered to be an Akali stronghold with almost all senior leaders of Majha having their roots here. The party went into a downward spiral following the 2017 polls when it won only one of the district’s seven seats. Five years later, it has ended up scoring zilch.
After the 2012 polls, party president Sukhbir Singh Badal had introduced the halqa (constituency) in-charge mechanism. Leaders like Sewa Singh Sekhwan, Nirmal Singh Kahlon, LS Lodhinangal and Sucha Singh Langah shrewdly used this system to cling on to power.
So powerful were these local satraps that all postings and transfers, including those of senior bureaucrats, were controlled by them. Former minister Balbir Singh Baath, considered an upright politician, however, refused to play ball. He termed the ‘halqa’ in-charge system as unconstitutional. Resultantly, the party started cold shouldering him and in the process it also triggered its downfall.
After the 2022 debacle, the only leader who can walk with some pride despite losing is the party’s Majha youth wing chief Ravi Karan Kahlon. Just 450 odd votes separated him from the eventual winner SS Randhawa in Dera Baba Nanak. The senior leadership now views him as someone who may help resurrect the party.
In the civic body polls held last year, the party won only six of the 50 wards of the Batala Municipal Corporation. Likewise, it failed to open its account in the Gurdaspur municipal committee polls with the Congress winning all the 29 wards at stake.
The party’s affairs in this area used to be managed by Bikram Singh Majithia. “With Bikram in jail, we need a strong leader, if the story has to be rewritten, but unfortunately we have none. GS Babbehali, president of the district unit, lost the polls and with it he also lost his moral authority to run the party,” said a former minister.
Panthic agenda ‘not working’
Political observers say the Panthic agenda on which the SAD used to fall back on in times of need now no longer worked, at least not in Gurdaspur district.
Fighting for survival in Gurdaspur, Akalis plan structural changes
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