A day after Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) core committee authorised the party president to ‘reconstitute’ its structure in line with the recommendations of the panel which went into the causes of party’s poor showing in the February 2022  Assembly elections, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, on Thursday, dissolved the entire organisational structure of the party.

All bodies, including the core committee, the working committee, the office bearers and all other units as well as all wings of the party stand dissolved, according to a party release here this evening.

The SAD president will now start the process of  wider ranging consultations with senior colleagues as well as workers and cadre at grassroots for the reconstitution of the party’s structure, it said.

“Badal  will also reach out to various Punjabi and Panthic personalities including    intellectuals, writers,  religio political ideologues, opinion makers, and representatives of various bodies from different sections of society including  farmers, employees, students, teachers, traders, housewives, youth etc,” the SAD said.

The poll review committee, also called Jhoonda committee, recommended  dissolution and  and reconstitution of the party’s  organisational structure as well as several other steps to rejuvenate the party in line with Panthic and Punjabis interests and values and in the  light of the sentiments of the party’s grassroot workers, cadre and leadership.

“The committee had recommended that the party’s organsiational  structure must be reconstituted as  the first step towards its rejuvenation. It had also recommended norms for restructuring of the party and its hierarchy in the light of the values that had originally inspired the party and its glorious heritage.   It had also sought special focus on the aspirations of the youth,” it said.

The committee has recommended special emphasis on articulating and fulfilling the aspirations of the youth and to give them prominent representation in the party’s new organisational structure, the SAD said.

“The party’s new structure and its image will fully conform both to youth’s aspirations, dreams and goals as well as to  the traditional ideals and values that had inspired our ancestors in various struggles for   Panth and Punjab in the past ” , said the spokesperson, adding that Punjab’s and Panth’s interests will continue to be the guiding spirit  behind rejuvenation of the party,” it added.

In the Punjab Assembly polls, the SAD recorded its worst performance by winning three seats in the 117-member Assembly.  The party’s vote percentage also went down to 18.38 per cent in these polls as compared to  25.2 per cent votes in 2017 Assembly polls.