Punjab AAP leader with Cabinet rank who resigned over ‘saroop’ row: Who is Sukhwinder Sukhi?
The political journey of Sukhi, from Kanshi Ram’s BSP to Akali Dal and then AAP, reflects the broader realignments and churn in the politically crucial Doaba region.
Sukhwinder Sukhi announced his resignation on Facebook on Sunday and said he would try to convince Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and the ruling AAP’s leadership about the “sanctity” of the gurdwara. The largely rural Banga Assembly constituency in Punjab’s Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar district, reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), has once again become a mirror of the state’s shifting political loyalties. At the heart of this churn is Dr Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, a two-time Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA who is now a prominent face of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab’s Doab region.
A doctor-turned-politician whose political roots go back to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) movement under Kanshi Ram, Sukhi’s journey — from BSP to SAD and now AAP — reflects the broader realignments underway in Punjab politics, particularly in Doaba.
The latest twist came after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann stated that 169 saroops (physical copies of the Guru Granth Sahib) were found at the Rasokhana Nabh Kanwal Raja Sahib Gurdwara in Banga during an inquiry into the alleged disappearance of 328 saroops. Soon after, Sukhi announced his resignation as the chairman of the Punjab State Container and Warehousing Corporation (CONWARE).
Sukhi, who was appointed chairman with Cabinet rank on February 5, 2025, wrote on Facebook that he was resigning as he was “deeply hurt” by the controversy. He said he had been closely associated with the religious place for a long time and asserted that no disrespect to any saroop of Shri Guru Granth Sahib had ever taken place there. He also called for a fact-based resolution and urged political parties not to politicise matters of faith.
Born on December 6, 1960, in Gunachaur village of Nawanshahr district, Sukhi is an ENT specialist and got his medical degree from the DMC Ludhiana and runs his own hospital in Nawanshahr. He has been politically active since his student days. During the Kanshi Ram era, he was associated with BSP and served as general secretary of its student wing.
Electoral journey
His father, a retired tehsildar, also joined the BSP and contested the Nawanshahr Assembly seat in 2002, losing by a narrow margin. In 2009, Sukhi contested the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat on a BSP ticket, polling over 1.05 lakh votes.
Following differences within the BSP, Sukhi joined the SAD in 2012. He was later appointed Chairman of the Punjab Planning Board and went on to win the Banga Assembly seat in 2017. He has continued his medical practice alongside politics.
Sukhi retained Banga in 2022, even as SAD registered one of its worst electoral performances, winning only three of the 117 seats. He was the only SAD candidate to win from the Doaba region, which has 23 Assembly seats.
In 2023, SAD fielded him for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll, which was necessitated by the death of Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary. With no strong local face in Jalandhar, the party chose its sitting Banga MLA. However, Sukhi lost to the AAP’s Sushil Rinku.
His consistent electoral performance made him politically valuable. In August 2024, he formally joined the AAP, a move that caused a stir in Punjab’s Opposition. While he submitted his resignation from the SAD, it has not yet been formally accepted by the Assembly, meaning he technically continues as an SAD MLA.
Soon after joining the AAP, Sukhi was appointed CONWARE chairman, a move widely seen as the AAP’s attempt to strengthen its organisational base in Doaba by inducting a leader with a clean image, strong Dalit connect and proven grassroots support.
“Sukhi should have first resigned as MLA instead of quitting as the CONWARE chairman. As he no longer subscribes to the party’s ideology, he should first quit as an MLA, which is the primary mandate that he holds which he secured by winning the Assembly elections,” former Punjab Education Minister and SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said, adding that Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan should have taken suo motu notice and initiated disqualification proceedings against Sukhi.
A senior AAP leader, on the condition of anonymity, also echoed Cheema’s views.
Banga remains a politically complex constituency. With an electorate of around 1.64 lakh voters, it has a sizable Dalit population. Lack of village-level development, unemployment and the persistent drug menace dominate public discourse in the constituency. Infrastructure projects have drawn mixed reactions. While the newly constructed 3-km flyover in Banga has eased traffic for commuters heading towards Chandigarh on the state highway, broader development concerns remain.
For the AAP, Sukhi is more than just an MLA from a reserved seat. He represents a test case of whether the party can absorb leaders from traditional parties without diluting its anti-establishment image. For the SAD, his exit underscores the party’s shrinking footprint in Doaba and its struggle to retain influential leaders.
As Punjab’s political landscape continues to evolve, Sukhi’s next moves — both inside the Assembly and outside — will be closely watched in a constituency where voters have repeatedly shown a preference for individuals over party labels.
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