CHANDIGARH: From Haryana to Canada and the UK to France and Kuwait, jailed MP Amritpal Singh-led Akali Dal Waris Punjab De is expanding its organisational footprint as it seeks support among Sikhs in India and abroad ahead of the 2027 Punjab assembly elections.The outfit on Wednesday constituted a five-member Haryana unit, appointing Sukhwinder Singh Mandebar its president. The same day, it formed a 13-member panel in France to coordinate with the Sikh diaspora and prepare the ground for a formal unit there.In Canada, supporters are scheduled to organise an event and Sukhmani Sahib Path at Sri Guru Singh Sabha Malton in Mississauga on Saturday, coinciding with the outfit’s Panthic conference at Chhapar village in Punjab’s Dakha constituency. The programme will include prayers for the release of Bandi Singhs and welfare of the Sikh community.The expansion follows a ‘Panth Bachao, Punjab Bachao’ conference organised by supporters in Smethwick, UK, on Sept 20. Five days earlier, the organisation constituted a 15-member committee in Kuwait to pave the way for a unit there.Dakha MLA and party functionary Manpreet Singh Ayali claimed Sikhs abroad as well as in Haryana, UP and Uttarakhand were showing keen interest in supporting the outfit. “Soon, we will be constituting our Delhi unit also,” he said.Ayali, a three-time MLA who earlier represented Shiromani Akali Dal, claimed the 2027 contest would become a “movement of Sikhs”, drawing parallels with Amritpal’s 2024 Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha victory and Simranjit Singh Mann’s 2022 Sangrur bypoll win. He predicted a “one-sided election” in the outfit’s favour.Amritpal won Khadoor Sahib as an Independent in 2024 while lodged in Dibrugarh jail in Assam. His outfit, formed at the Maghi Mela in Muktsar in January 2025, awaits Election Commission recognition as a political party.The organisation has projected Amritpal as its CM face for 2027. Amid speculation that he could contest two assembly seats, Ayali said the parliamentary board would decide his constituencies, but added that Amritpal contesting the election was certain.Meanwhile, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal has stepped up attacks on the outfit, derisively calling it “Virus Punjab De”.
