SAD to release manifesto on November 1, drugs and jobs to top agenda

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is stepping up preparations for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, with the party scheduled to release its manifesto on November 1 and launch a statewide bus yatra on November 10.

Seeking to rebuild its political base, the SAD has sharpened its criticism of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, focusing on drug abuse, unemployment, law and order and the delivery of public services.

The manifesto exercise is being supported by the party’s Punjab Bachao door-to-door campaign, through which it is collecting public feedback before finalising its poll promises. The initiative aims to translate the party’s criticism of the state government into specific policy proposals.

25,000 feedback forms distributed in Jalandhar
The SAD has distributed around 25,000 feedback forms across four Assembly constituencies in Jalandhar — Jalandhar North, Jalandhar West, Jalandhar Central and Jalandhar Cantonment.

The forms seek residents’ views on unemployment, drug abuse, corruption, gangster activity, Punjab’s rising debt and government expenditure on advertisements. They also highlight shortages of doctors and teachers in government institutions and invite people to identify their most pressing concerns.

The campaign also draws attention to welfare schemes introduced during previous SAD governments, including the Atta-Dal Scheme, the Shagun Scheme and pension programmes. The party alleges that subsequent Congress and AAP governments discontinued or diluted some of these initiatives.

Bus yatra to cover all 117 constituencies
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal is scheduled to launch the statewide bus yatra from Sri Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo on November 10.

The campaign is planned to cover all 117 Assembly constituencies in three phases. The first phase will run from November 10 to 22, while subsequent phases are expected to begin from Sri Anandpur Sahib and Sri Akal Takht Sahib.

Drug abuse is set to remain a key campaign issue. The party has announced a women-led anti-drug initiative titled “Maawan-Dheeyan di Lalkaar, Band Karo Nasha da Vyapar” (Mothers and Daughters Raise the Call: Stop the Drug Trade).
Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal is scheduled to lead the initiative’s second phase from Sri Muktsar Sahib.

SAD has also announced a rally at Killi Chahlan village in Moga on December 8 to mark the birth anniversary of former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.