Chandigarh, Oct 24 (PTI) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday said it will not contest the November 13 Punjab Assembly bypolls.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the SAD’s working committee and district presidents here.
The development comes a day after SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal failed to get any temporary relief from the Akal Takht, which has declared him ‘tankhaiya’ (person guilty of religious misconduct), for the “mistakes” committed by his party and government from 2007 to 2017.
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh said the SAD can contest the bypolls and there is no restriction on it.
The four assembly seats going to polls in Punjab are Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal and Barnala. The bypolls were necessitated after the MLAs representing the seats were elected to the Lok Sabha.
“We have decided that we will keep ourselves out of the bypolls to the four assembly seats considering the larger Panthic interests and maintaining the dignity and respect of the Panthic institutions,” senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema told reporters here.
A resolution to this effect was passed unanimously at the meeting of the party’s working committee, he said.
Cheema said SAD workers wanted Badal to contest from Gidderbaha as it was represented by party patriarch and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal for a long time.
The party workers also wanted to contest the bypolls but after the jathedar’s order, it was clear that Badal could not fight the elections or take part in the poll campaign, he said.
“We can never go against the order of the Akal Takht,” he added.
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, however, said while Badal cannot be given permission for contesting polls, there is no restriction on his party.
“Only the SAD president cannot be given permission for contesting the polls as this matter is with the Akal Takht. But the rest of the party can take part in these elections. There is no restriction of any kind on the party for contesting the elections,” Singh said in a video message.
A SAD delegation had met Singh on Tuesday and urged him to allow Badal to lead the party’s poll campaign.
Singh had said on Wednesday that a ‘tankhaiya’ remains a ‘tankhaiya’ until ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment) is awarded.
The Sikh clergy is yet to award ‘tankhah’ to Badal.
After he was declared ‘tankhaiya’ by the Akal Takht on August 30, Badal had appeared before the highest temporal seat of Sikhs and sought forgiveness for the “mistakes” committed by his party and its government. PTI CHS VSD DIV DIV
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