Prem Singh Chandumajra Quits Punar Surjit, Set to Rejoin Akali Dal

Prem Singh Chandumajra, a former three-term Lok Sabha MP, has quit the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) faction and plans to rejoin the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), The Tribune reported on 5 November 2026. He announced the decision on Wednesday, citing differences with the faction over how to achieve Panthic unity, and is expected to return to the SAD on 6 November.

Chandumajra said Giani Harpreet Singh’s public reply to his appeal showed differences in “thinking, ideology and working”. “In view of the lack of coordination on these issues, I decided to part ways with Akali Dal Punar Surjit,” he said, according to The Tribune. He also urged all Akali and Panthic groups to come together on one platform.

A Faction Without a Symbol

Punar Surjit is not a registered party and has no election symbol. Its leaders must join a registered party to contest the 2027 Punjab Assembly election as party candidates rather than independents. That makes each departure count for more than the faction’s small size suggests.

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The Tribune said Chandumajra recently met senior BJP leaders in New Delhi, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and that talk of an SAD-BJP alliance for 2027 has picked up pace. Sources quoted by the paper said more Punar Surjit leaders could return to the SAD in the coming days. IPB could not independently confirm that.

Rakhra Went to AAP Earlier

Chandumajra was the SAD’s Anandpur Sahib candidate in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and finished fourth. He won that seat in 2014 and served as general secretary and spokesman of the SAD. Another Punar Surjit leader, Surjit Singh Rakhra, left the faction earlier and joined the Aam Aadmi Party, which runs the state government.

The SAD welcomed the move and asked old leaders to come home, according to The Financial World. The Congress, meanwhile, opened its own 2027 campaign with Rahul Gandhi’s rally at Sangrur; IPB reported on that rally, and more Punjab reports are on the IPB Punjab page.

Return Expected on 6 November

Chandumajra’s rejoining is expected on Friday, 6 November. Whether the SAD and BJP formally announce an alliance, and how many more Punar Surjit leaders follow him, has not been stated by either party. The 2027 Assembly election is due in the first months of next year.

Source: Based on reporting by The Tribune and The Financial World. No official statement or document was found.

Image: The Tribune.