Lost 3 elections, still had clout

Amritsar: With a single stroke, the Sikh clergy has dispelled concerns about being under the influence of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and their ability to make independent decisions by reining in senior SAD leader Virsa Singh Valtoha.
Despite his presence on social media and strong statements, Virsa has not proven to be an asset for SAD politically, having lost one parliamentary election and two assembly polls consecutively.In the recent Lok Sabha elections, Virsa, who contested from the Khadoor Sahib, received only 86,416 votes and forfeited his security deposit. In 2022 and 2017 assembly elections, he lost to Sarwan Singh Dhunn of AAP and Sukhpal Singh Bhullar of Congress in Khemkaran.
When given the Lok Sabha ticket from Khadoor Sahib, even overlooking Sukhbir’s brother-in-law, Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, Valtoha had then stated, “Sukhbir has made it clear that he is working above parivarwaad (family considerations).” But his increasing prominence in the party raised concerns, especially given his consecutive election losses. His rising staturebecame evident after he questioned the SGPC president after a sewadar’s electrocution.