With the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections approaching, the political organisation led by jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh is expanding its presence across the state and preparing to enter the electoral contest with a growing list of candidates and the developments have put the Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) in a contest for the Panthic political space traditionally associated with the Shiromani Akali Dal.
But there is one question at the centre of the party’s preparations: where is Amritpal Singh, and how will he fight an election while remaining in jail?
As of late August 2026, Amritpal Singh is lodged in Dibrugarh jail in Assam in connection with the 2023 Ajnala police station attack case and as per reports his detention under the National Security Act ended on April 22, while he continued to remain in Dibrugarh jail in connection with the Ajnala case.
Despite being behind bars, Amritpal remains at the centre of his party’s preparations for the 2027 Punjab elections.
Party leaders have indicated that Amritpal Singh will contest the 2027 Assembly elections and his home constituency, Khadoor Sahib, is one of the seats being considered for him.
At the same time, party insiders have said that he has expressed interest in contesting from Dhuri, the Assembly constituency represented by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Talwandi Sabo and Rampura Phul have also emerged as possible options.
The possibility of an Amritpal-Mann contest from Dhuri has generated political speculation, although the party itself has not confirmed it.
Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) chief spokesperson Shamsher Singh Padhri said Amritpal could contest from even two constituencies, but stressed that the final decision on the seats had not been taken and the party has also described reports of him contesting directly against Mann as a rumour.
His father and party working president, Tarsem Singh, has similarly ruled out any final decision on Dhuri.
Amritpal's electoral journey has already demonstrated that his political appeal extends beyond his organisational base. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he contested from Khadoor Sahib as an Independent candidate and won the seat by more than 2.1 lakh votes against Congress candidate Kulbir Singh Zira and the party now appears to be trying to convert that electoral support into a wider Assembly-level organisation.
Over the past few weeks, Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) has been announcing candidates, inducting political figures and strengthening its organisational structure and its women's wing has also been holding meetings in rural areas of Amritsar, with the stated aim of expanding the party to villages and urban localities.
The party has said it plans to announce a large number of candidates ahead of the polls.
Tarsem Singh said a parliamentary board had been formed to shortlist candidates and that around 50 to 60 candidates could be announced by September 15.
The party has already announced several names.
One of its most prominent early announcements was Satwant Singh, son of Kehar Singh, who was convicted in the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and subsequently executed. Satwant Singh has been fielded from Bassi Pathana in Fatehgarh Sahib, while the party has also announced Papalpreet Singh as its candidate from Majitha.
Papalpreet was previously detained under the NSA along with Amritpal and was lodged in Dibrugarh jail before being brought back to Punjab.
Other candidates announced by the outfit include Gurmeet Singh Bukkanwala from Moga, Daljit Singh Kalsi from Ajnala, Darshan Singh Shivalik from Gill, Jagjit Singh Baba Jagga from Kapurthala and Rachpal Singh Sosan from Kotkapura and along with this the party has also been drawing established political figures into its fold.
Former Mansa MLA Sukhwinder Singh Aulakh joined the organisation recently, while Gurdeep Singh Batth, who contested the 2024 Barnala Assembly bypoll as an Independent, also joined.
Despite Amritpal's central role, his father Tarsem Singh has said that no other member of the family will contest the 2027 elections and according to Tarsem Singh, the decision is intended to avoid dynastic politics and create space for grassroots workers and younger leaders.
The distinction is politically significant because Tarsem Singh is currently functioning as the party's working president while Amritpal remains in jail and the party is therefore attempting to build an electoral organisation around Amritpal's political influence while relying on other leaders to manage its day-to-day activities and campaign preparations.
The emergence of Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) comes at a time when Punjab's traditional Panthic political space is undergoing considerable change.
The Shiromani Akali Dal, which historically dominated Sikh religious and Panthic politics in Punjab, has faced internal divisions and electoral setbacks and several political formations are now attempting to occupy parts of that space.
The Waris Punjab De outfit is seeking to position itself as a regional alternative focused on Punjab's rights, Sikh political prisoners, Panthic issues and grassroots representation, however, there is also a practical hurdle: the party had not received formal registration or an election symbol from the Election Commission of India as of today (September 1) and the lack of a recognised symbol could complicate its attempt to contest the Assembly elections as a unified political force.
That makes the coming months crucial.