Embattled with internal strife, an ailing Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has fielded staunch Badal loyalist and Sikh hardliner face Bibi Jagir Kaur for Khadoor Sahib constituency in Punjab. The controversial politician who is three-time MLA, will have her first outing as a Lok Sabha candidate, and is seen as the party's decisive blow to rebel sitting MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura who broke away and formed his own faction SAD(Taksali) in December.
Kaur has a lot riding on her shoulders- right from debuting as a Parliamentary candidate to wooing the vote bank as she does not belong to the segment. Khadoor Sahib is an important bastion- being the largest constituency and one that spans across all the three belts of the state- Majha, Doaba and Malwa. She is SAD face also to counter the sharp criticism the provincial party has been facing among Sikh voters as well as SGPC because of alleged mishandling of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib in 2015. Kaur- a staunch Akali enjoys close ties with the Panthic clergy. She was the first woman president of Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).