A new political equation seems to be emerging in the politics of Punjab before the 2027 assembly elections. Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), the party of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, is continuously expanding. Khalistani supporter Amritpal Singh has been in jail for a long time and he had contested the Lok Sabha elections from jail itself and registered a big victory. The party has already announced that it will make Amritpal Singh the CM of Punjab but the party also knows the reality that just by getting Panthic votes the party will not be able to reach the post of CM.
Amritpal's party has now made a new and bigger move. The party has promised to make a Hindu and a Dalit leader as deputy CMs if the government is formed. This formula is an attempt to combine social representation and Hindu-Sikh unity with sectarian politics in Punjab. It is worth noting that Shiromani Akali Dal used to take the support of BJP to bring together Hindu voters in the state, but now Amritpal's party has made a bet of Hindu Deputy CM.
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Amritpal CM and two deputy CMs
In the Panthak Sabha held at Mundian Kalan, Ludhiana in April 2026, party patron Tarsem Singh had announced to make Amritpal Singh the chief ministerial face for 2027. After this, now if the government is formed, he has asked to appoint one Deputy CM each from Hindu and Dalit communities. Party leaders argue that it is difficult to gain power in Punjab only on the basis of sectarian issues, hence it is necessary to assure political participation to other communities also.
Senior party leader and Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali also said in July that Amritpal Singh will be the chief ministerial face and the party will give prominence to Hindu-Sikh unity along with sectarian issues in its agenda in the 2027 elections. According to Ayali, the aim of the party is to make Punjab safe for Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and all other communities.
How important is the Hindu-Dalit card?
This strategy is important in the politics of Punjab because the Sikh population is in majority in the state, but for electoral victory any party has to gain the support of different social groups. Historically, Shiromani Akali Dal had reached out to Hindu voters by forming an alliance with BJP. Many times the party got the post of CM from this alliance. On the other hand, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have also achieved electoral success with the help of broad social alliance.
In such a situation, the formula of Hindu and Dalit Deputy CM of the Amritpal led party is an attempt to send a message that the party will not be limited to only Sikh politics. Cultivating the Dalits in particular is very important in the politics of Punjab, because the Scheduled Caste population in the state is about one-third and the Dalit vote plays a decisive role in many assembly seats. Punjab has the largest population of Dalits in the entire country and they have a strong political presence in many areas, especially in the Doaba region.
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Won elections from jail
Amritpal Singh openly supports Khalistan and is in jail after attacking the police station. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, while being in jail, Amritpal Singh, as an independent candidate, secured 4,04,430 votes from Khadur Sahib seat and defeated Kulbir Singh Zira of Congress by a huge margin of 1,97,120 votes. He got 38.62 percent of the total votes.
This victory established his strength in the sectarian politics of Punjab. Now his supporters are trying to convert this public support into assembly elections. After 2024, Amritpal's supporters along with Sarabjit Singh Khalsa and other Panthak leaders formed their own separate party Shiromani Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De). Since then the party has been continuously expanding its organization. The party has also fielded many candidates. Political experts also believe that Amritpal's party is emerging as a strong political force in Punjab.