Amritsar: Former Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh unanimously elected as the president of the breakaway faction of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), in Amritsar. (PTI Photo)

AMRITSAR/JALADHAR: Sukhbir Singh Badal-led SAD faced its strongest challenge from a parallel faction Monday as bitter rival and Akal Takht’s former acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh was elected president of a reconstituted SAD claiming more than 14 lakh members – deepening the cracks within Punjab’s leading Sikh political party.Harpreet said the reorganised SAD, formed by a breakaway faction, would retain the party’s name and begin claiming the office and election symbol. It was formed after an Akal Takht directive on Dec 2, 2024, that accused the Badal-led party of losing moral authority to lead the panth and declared Sukhbir “tankhiya”, or guilty of religious misconduct. Sukhbir’s camp has alleged RSS was behind efforts to unseat him.