Kabaddi star Amba Sursingh joins Waris Punjab De ahead of 2027 Punjab polls

International kabaddi player Amritpal Singh, popularly known as Amba Sursingh, has joined Akali Dal Waris Punjab De ahead of Punjab’s 2027 assembly elections. He pledged to campaign for jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh Khalsa as the state’s next chief minister. The move puts a recognised name from Punjab’s kabaddi circuit at the centre of a party that says it wants to give young sportspersons a role in the coming polls.

Sursingh, who comes from Sursingh village in Tarn Taran district’s Khemkaran constituency, was inducted at a press conference in Amritsar. Senior party leader Sukhwinder Singh Aguwan and other office-bearers attended.

Sursingh says players must steer youth away from drugs

Sursingh framed his decision around drugs and crime among Punjab’s young people. According to a translation of his remarks in Hindi, he said:

“I have joined Amritpal Singh’s movement to save Punjab’s youth from drugs, gang wars and extortion. My goal is to make him the chief minister of Punjab in 2027.”

The kabaddi player said he had been influenced by Amritpal Singh’s ideology since the Khalsa Vaheer campaign in 2022. He argued that sportspersons had a responsibility to keep young people away from drugs and crime.

He also pointed to the killing of prominent kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal Ambian, saying that deteriorating law and order had affected Punjab’s sporting community as well. For many kabaddi followers in the state, the reference ties his political move directly to the sport he plays.

More Khemkaran players could follow, Sursingh claims

Sursingh claimed that several other kabaddi players from the Khemkaran region were preparing to join the party. He added that some players based overseas had also expressed interest.

Welcoming him, Aguwan said the party would consider giving electoral responsibilities to young sportspersons as it prepared for elections to the 117-member Punjab assembly.

“Amba has defeated formidable opponents on the kabaddi field. He is now ready to enter the political arena,” Aguwan said.

Aguwan did not say, according to the report, whether Sursingh himself would be fielded as a candidate.

Party sets out wider plans for the 2027 polls

Aguwan used the occasion to outline the party’s electoral strategy. He said Akali Dal Waris Punjab De planned to field Hindu candidates in urban constituencies, including Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Bathinda. He also announced that the party would appoint two deputy chief ministers to give representation to different communities if it formed the government.

“Our party represents the entire Punjab, not just one community. We want to take people of all religions along with us,” Aguwan said.

The party leader accused the Election Commission and the central government of creating obstacles to the party’s recognition, alleging that the authorities were trying to restrict its political expansion. The allegations could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate response from the Election Commission or the central government.

Aguwan also criticised the Shiromani Akali Dal led by Sukhbir Singh Badal, accusing it of failing to protect Sikh interests during its years in power. He said the party remained open to cooperation with regional political organisations that supported its agenda for Punjab.

Referring to the late anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota, Aguwan said the party would consider offering an assembly ticket to a member of his family if they wished to enter politics.

Akali Dal Waris Punjab De is headed by Amritpal Singh Khalsa, with Tarsem Singh Khalsa serving as working president. The party is seeking to expand its organisational base ahead of the 2027 elections, and Sursingh’s induction is part of that drive. Whether other kabaddi players from Khemkaran or abroad follow him into the party, as he claimed they would, has yet to be seen.