Bibi Jagir Kaur, the only women who served as president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee three times, has been appointed president of the women’s wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit).Party’s secretary-general Gurpratap Singh Wadala said the decision was taken after consultations with senior leaders, with the aim of further strengthening the party. “The party is steadily regaining credibility and acceptance among its traditional cadre. At such a crucial juncture, and keeping in mind the central role of women, this significant appointment has been made,” he said.Once a close confidante of the Badal family, Kaur has extensive experience in leading and managing the women’s wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) headed by Sukhbir Singh Badal.Wadala expressed confidence that her appointment would help take the SAD (Punar Surjit) to every household and strengthen it at the grassroots level.Teacher-turned-politicianBorn on October 15, 1954, in Bhatnura Lubana village of Jalandhar district, Jagir Kaur holds a BA and B.Ed degree and worked as a mathematics teacher in a government school for over 11 years.She resigned from her teaching job after she was appointed head of the Dera of Baba Prem Singh Murale Wale. The Dera has a significant following in the Bholath constituency of Kapurthala district, particularly among the Lubana community, to which she belongs.Her position as Dera head facilitated her entry into the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ahead of the 1997 Punjab Assembly elections. Then party chief Parkash Singh Badal fielded her from Bholath, where she defeated Sukhpal Singh Khaira by a considerable margin. She went on to win the seat again in 2002 and 2012.During the Akali-BJP alliance government in Punjab, she headed the Transport and Cultural Affairs ministries.