The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Saturday expelled senior leader and former minister Adaish Partap Singh Kairon from the party's primary membership with immediate effect for allegedly indulging in anti-party activities, the move coming days before Punjab votes in the seventh and final phase of polling for its 13 Lok Sabha seats on June 1. Kairon, the grandson of former Punjab CM Partap Singh Kairon, is married to Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal’s sister. The decision to expel him was taken by SAD secretary general Balwinder Singh Bhundur in consultation with senior party leaders following a complaint from Virsa Singh Valtoha, the party's candidate from Khadoor Sahib constituency, the SAD said in a statement. Valtoha had alleged that Kairon told Akali Dal workers to vote for any candidate from Khadoor Sahib except him. Praising Badal for the action taken again Valtoha, Kairon in a Facebook post said, “Sardar, you have won my heart.I can do anything for you for your bold decision. It seems that I have won election today itself”. The political rivalry between Valtoha, a former MLA from Khemkaran, and Kairon, a fourtime former MLA from the Patti constituency, is well known in political and Akali Dal circles, Karion representing Patti for 20 years from 1997 to 2017 in Punjab Assembly and remained a minister in the Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD-BJP government. Patti is adjacent to Khemkaran which was represented by Valtoha from 2007 to 2017. Kairon is known for keeping a low profile and for maintaining a distance from the media. In the run up for 2022 Punjab Assembly election, Badal named Valtoha as party candidate from Khemkaran even after Kairon publicly expressed the desire to make family member contest from the seat. Within a week of Kairon's announcement, Badal held a rally in Khemkaran to settle the dispute. However, both Kairon and Valtoha couldn’t win the polls. Sources in the party said that that Kairon was not happy over SAD fielding Valtoha from Khadoor Sahib, a panthic seat from where BJP has named Manjeet Singh Manna, Congress has fielded former MLA Kulbir Singh Zira and AAP has named cabinet minister Lalit Singh Bhullar. Also in fray from the seat is Amritpal Singh, the self-styled radical preacher who is currently lodged in Assam's Dibrugarh jail. Valtoha said that by expelling his close relative from party, “Sukhbir Singh Badal has put party first and displayed his dedication for workers”. “Kairon was hatching conspiracies for long,” he added.
