HS Phoolka joins BJP, entry adds to Panthic churn ahead of 2027 Punjab Assembly polls

Phoolka, 70, began his political journey with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2013 and quickly rose to prominence within the party. After unsuccessfully contesting the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Ludhiana, he won the 2017 Assembly election from Dakha, defeating Manpreet Singh Ayali of the Shiromani Akali Dal. 

He was subsequently appointed Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, emerging as one of 

AAP’s most prominent faces in the state. However, in October 2018, he resigned as MLA and quit the party, citing dissatisfaction over the pace of justice in sacrilege cases despite the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission set up under then chief minister Amarinder Singh. 

In December 2024, Phoolka announced a fresh political move by publicly joining the Shiromani Akali Dal. The announcement came on December 7, 2024, shortly after the December 2 directive issued by former Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh to reorganise the party through a new membership drive. 

He had then stated that he would join the party on the very first day of the drive to strengthen the regional outfit. However, factionalism within the Akali Dal — marked by parallel membership drives by the Shiromani Akali Dal led by Sukhbir Singh Badal and a five-member committee formed by the then Akal Takht Jathedar — and the emergence of splinter formations such as Akali Dal Punarsurjit meant that he never formally joined the party.

Beyond politics, Phoolka has long been recognised for spearheading one of the most sustained legal battles linked to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He represented numerous victims’ families over the course of decades, often fighting cases at no cost, and played a crucial role in reopening cases and securing convictions, establishing himself as a key legal figure in the pursuit of justice for riot victims.

A native of Bhadaur village in Barnala district, Phoolka has also been engaged in social causes, including advocating organic farming and water-conservation practices among farmers.

BJP’s outreach to Sikh leadership

His decision to now align with the BJP is being seen as part of a broader political realignment in Punjab, particularly as the party attempts to expand its footprint among Sikh leadership. The development also comes just two days after several senior panthic leaders joined the BJP in Chandigarh, reinforcing signals of a calibrated outreach.

The BJP’s outreach to Sikh leadership has, in fact, been unfolding over several years, drawing in leaders holding key organisational and institutional positions. Among the early prominent entrants were Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who joined the BJP in December 2021 after serving as president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and as a senior leader and MLA of the Akali Dal in Delhi, and Harmeet Singh Kalka, who also joined the party in 2021 after holding key positions in the DSGMC and the Akali Dal. Their entry gave the BJP early traction among Sikh institutional leadership, particularly in Delhi. Sirsa is now the Delhi environment minister. 

In Punjab, the trend has gathered pace more recently, with several leaders crossing over from both the Akali Dal’s organisational structure and its dissident camp. 

In 2024–2025, Jagdeep Singh Cheema, with a Taksali Akali background, shifted to the BJP. This year, rebel Akali leader Charanjit Singh Brar shifted to the BJP. The momentum has continued, as on March 30, Charanjit Singh Kalewal (SGPC member and SAD national vice-president) and Ramandeep Singh Bharowal (SAD national vice-president) joined the party in Chandigarh, along with other Akali background leaders. 

The profile of these entrants — ranging from SGPC members to senior party office-bearers — underlines the BJP’s calibrated push to tap into both organisational and Panthic leadership amid the ongoing churn within the Akali space.