Elsewhere, Congress scripts a sorry tale: SAD-BJP pact creates history in Punjab
Source: The Sangai Express / Press Trust of India

Chandigarh, March 06 2012: The Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance on Tuesday created history in Punjab by storming back to power for a second consecutive term, breaking a 46-year-old jinx.

Bucking the anti-incumbency trend, the SAD (Badal) won 56 seats while its alliance partner the BJP got 12 seats, taking the combine's tally to 68 in the 117-member Assembly in the results declared on Tuesday.

The alliance had won 69 seats in in the 2007 election.

While the SAD has improved its tally from 50, the BJP has suffered a loss of seven seats.

The Congress, which was banking on anti-incumbency factor to ride to power, won only 46 seats, only marginally higher than the 42 it got last time.

Three others were won by independents.

SAD rebel Manpreet Singh Badal's People's Party of Punjab failed to open its account with the four-time MLA himself losing from Gidderba and Maur.

An ecstatic Parkash Singh Badal, who is all set to don the Chief Minister's mantle for a record fifth time, termed it as a vote for "peace and development" .

Praising his son Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, the 84-year-old Akali patriarch said he played a "big role" in ensuring return of the SAD-BJP to power.

Sukhbir Singh Badal told PTI, "The victory showed people's trust in Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's leadership and the work done by him.

He will be the Chief Minister and a final decision will be taken by the party" .

It is the first time since 1966, when Haryana was carved out of Punjab, that any ruling party has returned to power.

A disappointed Congress resigned itself to yet another stint in opposition with its Chief Ministerial candidate Amarinder Singh saying he accepted the people's verdict and offered to quit as State PCC chief.

"I will leave it to the Congress president.

If she wishes, I will step down," Amarinder Singh, whose son Raninder Singh lost from Samana, told reporters.

Chief Minister Badal won from his Lambi seat defeating his nearest Congress rival and cousin Mahesh Inder Singh Badal by a margin of 24,739 votes.

Besides infighting, the SAD-BJP combine went into the polls fighting allegations of corruption and nepotism.

It also had to reconcile with a number of rebels.

The Assembly results proved the exit polls wrong which had predicted a Congress win or a close fight between the two parties.

Parkash Singh Badal was Chief Minister for 15 months in 1970-71 and for 32 months in 1977-1980 without any alliance with the BJP or its earlier avatars.

His third tenure as Chief Minister from 1997 � first time to complete full five years was in alliance with the BJP.

He became the Chief Minister for the fourth time in 2007 again heading a BJP-SAD government.

Comment