Patiala: Former MP and senior Akali leader Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra formally rejoined the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday, November 6, after party president Sukhbir Singh Badal visited his residence and welcomed him back into the party, The North News reported. His son, former Sanaur MLA Harinderpal Singh Chandumajra, and their supporters also returned with him, according to Punjabi channel Surkhab TV's report from Patiala.

Source: The North News

Follow-up to the November 4 split

The return completes the move first reported on November 4, when Chandumajra resigned from the breakaway SAD (Punar Surjit) faction and a return to the Badal-led SAD was already expected. Read the earlier story: Chandumajra quits SAD (Punar Surjit)

In an organisational announcement made the same day, Badal appointed Harinderpal Singh Chandumajra as in-charge of the Sanaur Assembly constituency — a clear signal of the family's electoral role ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly election. Harinderpal represented Sanaur from 2017 to 2022 and lost the seat in 2022 to AAP's Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, who defected from the AAP to the BJP earlier this week.

Source: The North News

What Badal claimed at the press conference

Addressing a press conference, Badal said the Akali Dal had been revived and claimed that the SAD (Punar Surjit) faction had now ceased to exist. He also indicated that several prominent leaders would join the party in the coming days. These are the SAD president's claims; the Punar Surjit faction had not issued a response in the reports available at the time of publishing.

Source: The North News

Badal also raised alleged irregularities in Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) examinations. He claimed irregularities had occurred in several examinations conducted by the state government and said that if the SAD came to power, all such cases would be investigated. This is an allegation by the SAD president, not a finding; the reports did not carry a Punjab government response to it.

Source: The North News

Why Chandumajra left the rebel faction

Chandumajra resigned from SAD (Punar Surjit) on Wednesday, November 4, citing fundamental disagreements over the strategy for achieving Panthic unity. In his statement, reported by Mirror Now, he said consolidating Akali and Panthic organisations under a single platform was essential, and pointed to the response of the faction's president, Giani Harpreet Singh, to his unity appeals as a sign their approaches had diverged.

Source: Mirror Now

SAD (Punar Surjit) was formed on August 11, 2025, by rebel Akali leaders who had split from the Badal-led SAD after campaigning for Sukhbir Singh Badal's resignation and fresh elections for the party presidency. The faction's secretary general, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, had described Chandumajra's resignation as unfortunate — the rejoining now removes one of the faction's best-known faces just months before the 2027 contest.

Source: Mirror Now

Nov 4, 2026Chandumajra quits SAD (Punar Surjit)
Nov 6, 2026Rejoins SAD; son made Sanaur in-charge
2027Punjab Assembly election

The homecoming matters for the Sanaur seat in particular: Harinderpal's new in-charge role puts the family back at the centre of the constituency fight, in a seat now vacant in political terms after Pathanmajra's switch to the BJP — setting up one of Patiala district's most-watched contests for 2027.