The SAD president will be eligible to hold office for two terms of five years each, after which the incumbent will have to take a one-term break. “This will bring in a new leadership at the top,” he said. Sukhbir Serving his third term as SAD president since he was first elected as the party president on January 31, 2008.
Sukhbir said the party would focus on developing the next generation of leaders by reserving 50% seats for party workers below the age of 50 in the upcoming assembly elections. The SAD core committee will be reconstituted with new generation members including youth, women and representatives from all sections of the society.
The SAD president also announced that the party would follow the principle of one family one ticket from now on.
After the formation of the Shiromani Akali Dal government in Punjab, party workers at both the district and state levels will be given the presidency and the family members of MPs and MLAs will not be considered for these posts. After this the district president of SAD will not contest the elections.
The central election body for which 117 observers are to be appointed will oversee the entire exercise in all the assembly constituencies and the focus will be on the formation of booth committees that will choose the booth president. The latter would elect circle presidents, who in turn would elect district presidents.
Yuva Akali Dal (YAD) and the Students Organization of India (SOI) will be reconstituted and Sikh Students Union (SSF) will be revived. The upper age limit will be 35 years for YAD members and 40 years for YAD Chairman. The upper age of SOI and SSF members will be 30 years and only students will be enrolled in these organizations.
From now on, all Sikh office bearers of the party will be ‘Sabat Surat’. Sukhbir said that Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes would be given proper representation at all levels in the party.
He also announced the formation of an advisory board comprising intellectuals from all walks of life. A parliamentary board will be set up to attract the best talent to the party and suggest the best candidates for the assembly elections. a disciplinary board headed by Sikandar Singh MalukaThe SAD president has already been formed and the SAD president appealed to the party workers to air their differences in appropriate forums of the party and not go to the media.