Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was attacked with a kirpan at a gurudwara in Nanded, Maharashtra, this week. This marks the second attempt on his life in less than two years, and it has put the Akali Dal back in the political spotlight at a time when the party is already struggling.
What happened at the Nanded gurudwara attack
According to NDTV, Badal was attacked by a Nihang Sikh with a kirpan at Mata Sahib gurudwara. The attacker was immediately taken into custody. Reports from Republic World identify the attacker as Jaspal Singh.
Badal suffered a minor injury in the attack. According to AIR News Alerts, he underwent surgery lasting around 90 minutes and is expected to recover. His condition is reported as stable.
Second attack in less than two years
This attack comes nearly 20 months after Badal survived a firing attempt outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar in December 2024. That earlier incident happened while he was serving a religious punishment at the holy site. The repeat attack raises serious concerns about the safety of the SAD president.
The timing is significant. As The Tribune reports, the attack comes even as Badal struggles to reverse a decade-long electoral slide for the Akali Dal. The party is searching for a way back to the ballot box, but the shadow of the "beadbi" or "sacrilege" incidents of 2015 continues to cast a shadow over its leadership.
Political impact and alliance speculation
The attack has reignited discussions about the Akali Dal's political future. Speculation about an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — the SAD's former partner — refuses to subside. This comes in the run-up to the Assembly elections scheduled for February 2027.
According to The Hindu, the attack exposes the Akali Dal's vulnerability to the radical fringe. This is a critical weakness for a party that has historically drawn its support from the Sikh community.
"The attack came nearly 20 months after Badal survived a firing attempt outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar in December 2024." — The Tribune
What this means for the Akali Dal's future
The repeated attacks on Badal highlight several challenges for the party:
- Security concerns for its leadership are now a persistent issue
- The party's vulnerability to radical elements within the Sikh community is exposed
- The 2015 sacrilege incidents continue to damage public trust in the leadership
- Alliance decisions with BJP must be made while managing these vulnerabilities
The party now faces a difficult road ahead. It must address security concerns, rebuild trust with voters, and make strategic decisions about alliances — all while under the shadow of repeated attacks on its president.
Our Take: A party at a crossroads
To put it plainly, this attack is more than just a security failure — it is a political signal. The Akali Dal has been struggling for a decade, and now its president has been targeted twice in under two years. That is not a coincidence; it reflects a deeper problem.
The party's vulnerability to the radical fringe is a serious issue that it cannot ignore. Voters need to feel confident that the party can protect its own leadership, let alone govern effectively. The alliance question with BJP adds another layer of complexity — any decision will be watched closely by a Sikh electorate that still remembers the sacrilege incidents of 2015.
In our view, the Akali Dal needs to do more than just condemn this attack. It needs to show a clear plan for security, for rebuilding trust, and for its political future. Without that, the spotlight this attack has brought will only highlight problems, not solutions.
