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Akali Dal-BJP create history in Punjab
Badals sweep Congress off Punjab skies- breaks 46-year-old jinx
We won due to development and harmony: P. Badal
We won due to performance: Sukhbir Badal
Los Angeles, March, 07, 2012
Gary Singh/ Col Parkash Singh
Congress Stunned in Balloting Across the Country. NRI Dr. Surinder Singh who tried to do some project in India, said:
- The results of yesterday’s elections were a stunning affirmation of progressive values and a rejection of the Congress Party. But even back then, I was sure that when voters discovered what this collection of ideologues and sociopaths really had up their sleeves, they would reject them in droves in the next election.
- The Punjab people showed trust in Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's leadership and the work done by him.
 
Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal today said:
- Everything has gone as we wished. I am really happy and
thrilled as if this was my first election. The political atmosphere in the state
today indicates that this will be the biggest victory of my career for the SAD
and the BJP. We are set to go past even the 1997 figure
- The Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine had won due to the twin factors of "development" and "peace and harmony" that prevailed during its rule.
- There were "hundreds" of reasons for Congress
defeat in the assembly elections in the state. "The Congress is the most corrupt; both internal and external security has been compromised and there is a lot of unemployment. I am saying it again that these are only some of the reasons for Congress defeat". The negative Congress
campaign of mudslinging, abuses and violent idioms will back-fire on them.
- Who would be the next CM, he maintained that a party meeting would be held on March 8 in Chandigarh to decide on the issue.
When pressed further, he reiterated that it was for the party to decide. "Chahe aapko chun le," he said in a lighter vein to a scribe amid peals of laughter.
- He appreciated his son and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal for the hard work he put in vis-à-vis organisational elections of the party.
- Commenting on his estranged nephew and PPP chief Manpreet Singh Badal, the chief minister asserted that he had all along been saying that Manpreet had committed "political suicide" by parting ways with the SAD. "It was a blunder on part of Manpreet
- We asked them to compare our government's performance with that of the previous Congress regime. There was a clear preference for our government's performance. There was no anti-incumbency factor at play
Akali Dal-BJP create history in Punjab
Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance created history in the state's politics as it stunned the Congress on Tuesday to retain power for a second consecutive term - the first such instance in the state in the last over four decades.
Beating the traditional anti-incumbency factor, the combine bagged a comfortable majority with 68 seats in the 117-member Punjab assembly as results were declared. It is for the first time in over four decades that a government has been able to come back to power for a consecutive term in Punjab.
Surprisingly, the combine managed to bag the same number of seats it had got in the 2007 assembly polls - 68.
The positives from the results were more for the Akali Dal as it increased its score from 49 seats in 2007 to 56 this time. However, alliance partner BJP's tally came down - from 19 seats to just 12 this time.
The Congress, hopeful of coming back to power, was "surprised" by the results and ended with 46 seats. In 2007, the party had bagged 44 seats.
While the Akali Dal with 34.75 per cent, and BJP with 7.13 per cent, got 41.88 per cent vote share, the Congress had 40.11 per cent votes and 6.76 per cent votes went to independents.
"I want to thank the people of Punjab for the faith reposed in us again. I don't have the words to express my gratitude to them. They have given us such a big victory," a visibly happy Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, 84, said.
With his son, Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal - who is also the deputy chief minister - by his side, Badal senior said: "There are two reasons for our victory. We went to the people with the agenda of peace and development in the state. I am happy that we have been able to live up to their expectations."
With victory in their bag, the question being asked now is which of the Badals - the father or the son - will be the next chief minister of Punjab.
"It is for the party leadership to decide on who will be the chief minister," Badal senior, clearly trying to evade the question, said.
Sukhbir, who is being credited by Akali Dal leaders for the party's remarkable victory, was more clear on the issue. He himself returned with the highest victory margin, 50,246, among all 117 winning candidates.
Badal junior, 49, said: "We will consult the party but Parkash Singh Badal will be the candidate (for being CM)."
Dropping hints about Sukhbir's elevation, the chief minister said: "It is the victory of the people of Punjab. But I must appreciate Sukhbir Badal as he worked very hard with the party organisation. He had a big role as party president. He played the role effectively. I am fully satisfied."
Sukhbir led the Akali Dal campaign from the front and was the most visible face of the party compared to his ageing father. During the campaign, Sukhbir had openly said that the Akalis would govern Punjab for 25 years.
Badal senior also announced that he and his entire family will pay obeisance at the holiest of Sikh shrines, Harmandar Sahib, (popularly called Golden Temple) in Amritsar Wednesday.
"We will work harder in the new government," Badal announced.
The Akali Dal and BJP are likely to hold a meeting on Thursday before the next government is sworn-in.
The Congress, which was very hopeful of returning to power this time, accepted defeat in the election.
"We accept our defeat. We will analyze where things went wrong. We could not win, we will do introspection for our defeat," Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh said.
"I take full responsibility for the defeat. This result is very surprising," Amarinder Singh, a former chief minister, said."I wish the government well. I hope they will perform well for Punjab. It needs good governance," he added.
Congress dissidents, nearly two dozen of them, did affect the party's official candidates on some seats. ......IANS/NRIpress.com
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Badal vs Badal vs Badal in Punjab's Lambi seat
Parkash Singh Badal vs Gurdas Badal vs Maheshinder Singh Badal
Lambi (Punjab): The Lambi assembly seat in Punjab has been famous for one thing - its legislator and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. But as the state goes in for the Jan 30 elections, all eyes will be on it for a different reason. This time the contest here is a Badal vs Badal vs Badal.
While the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal has again fielded party patron Parkash Singh Badal for this seat, his younger brother Gurdas Badal is in the fray as the People's Party of Punjab (PPP) candidate. The third Badal in the contest is Congress candidate Maheshinder Singh Badal.
While Parkash Badal and Gurdas Badal are real brothers, Maheshinder Badal is their first cousin.
Floated by former Punjab finance minister and estranged Akali Dal leader Manpreet Singh Badal last year, PPP decided to field his father Gurdas Badal for the seat.
"Whatever is the result of the election on the Lambi seat, a Badal will win and a Badal will lose. It may be unfortunate for the family but interesting for the voters of the area," voter Gurmet Singh said.
When relations between the Badal brothers were good, the Lambi seat used to be nursed for Parkash Singh Badal by Gurdas Badal. The senior Badal, 84, a four-time Punjab chief minister, had nothing to worry about on his seat as his younger sibling took charge of his campaign and election work here.
"It could be a real messy situation this time in the election. Though Badal Sahib (Parkash Singh Badal) is the tallest among all leaders here, the election will be an interesting one," Lambi constituency resident Swaran Singh told IANS here.
In the February 2007 assembly poll, Parkash Singh Badal had defeated Maheshinder Singh Badal of the Congress by just over 9,000 votes. This was the lowest margin by which Parkash Singh Badal won his seat.
In the May 2009 Lok Sabha election, the Lambi seat gave Badal's daughter-in-law, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, a margin of nearly 35,000 votes. However, at that time, Gurdas Badal and Manpreet Badal were still part of the Akali Dal.
Though not many are doubting Parkash Singh Badal's victory from this constituency, the air of uncertainty cannot be missed. Since Gurdas Badal is contesting for the first time, not many are sure how much dent he will make in his brother and Akali Dal's votebank.
"Badal Sahib will win hands down. Others will realise their mistake when the result comes out," an Akali Dal supporter outside their election office said here.
The chief minister, even if he is a little worried, is not showing it at all.
"I will campaign all over the state again. I know that the people of my constituency will vote for me," he told a gathering this week while on a visit.
But the PPP and the Congress are not letting things go without a fight. "In the fight between the two real brothers (Parkash and Gurdas), the Congress will emerge a winner," Congress supporter Tejbir Singh said.
Locals here say Lambi is all set to become a Kurukshetra in the next few days with the political 'Mahabharat' being played here.......IANS/NRIpress.com
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SP and Akali Dal score big, Congress bruised
   
 Election officials count votes at a counting station in Lucknow, India, Tuesday.
NEW DELHI - The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Akali Dal emerged big winners Tuesday, with one poised to govern Uttar Pradesh and the other breaking a four-decade jinx to retain power in Punjab, leaving national parties BJP and Congress to count their losses despite wins in two of the five states.
Two ruling parties ousted, two holding on to power despite the odds and a neck and neck race in a fifth state - it was a confused electoral pastiche as millions of votes were counted for elections held in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. It was the biggest popularity test since the 2009 general elections.
Punjab was set to go back to the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party combine, which survived anti-incumbency to emerge winner with leads in 63 seats against the Congress’ 51 in the 117-member house. In Manipur, the Congress overcame the anti-incumbency to sweep the polls.
However, the Congress government in Goa prepared to make way for BJP rule.
In Uttar Pradesh, the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) faced defeat with trends indicating that it would get just 88 of the 403 seats, leaving the SP triumphant with a stunning mandate of 214 seats.
The Congress, which tied up with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), trailed a poor fourth with a combined estimated tally of 37 seats. The BJP struggled at number three with 46 seats.
It was a close fight in Uttarakhand with the Congress and the BJP in a neck-and-neck contest in the 70-member assembly.
As pundits and voters alike tried to make sense of the scenario, all were agreed that this electoral battle had left India’s ruling Congress badly bruised and the famed Gandhi charisma in serious question. The only silver lining for the party was Manipur, where its chief minister O. Idobi Singh held on to power for a third time.
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, son of party president Sonia Gandhi, had staked all in politically powerful Uttar Pradesh but come a clear cropper.
Prince Charming’s charm failed, said a sceptic, pointing to the Congrsss rout in Rae Bareli, represented by party president Sonia Gandhi in the Lok Sabha where it lost all five seats. Sonia Gandhi’s daughter Priyanka had campaigned in what is known as the pocket borough of the Gandhis.
The party sprung to its chief campaigner’s defence with Uttar Pradesh party chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi saying the onus for defeat lay with the state unit.
‘The Congress was the first to start the oust Mayawati campaign, but we could not take the benefit due to lack of party infrastructure,’ Minister of State for Communications Sachin Pilot told IANS. ‘Rahulji led the campaign from the front.’
Other party leaders admitted that they were stunned.
‘The UP results are deeply disappointing,’ said Law Minister Salman Khurshid, whose wife Louise suffered a humiliating defeat in Farrukhabad.
The BJP put up a brave face.
‘It’s a mixed bag for BJP,’ its leader Sushma Swaraj told reporters. ‘We have won Punjab, we are winning Goa, we are nearing the majority in Uttarakhand also.’
The mood was very different in the Akali Dal and SP camps.
Wild celebrations broke out at Badal village as 85-year-old Parkash Singh Badal steered the Akali Dal-BJP combine to another victory.
Ditto at the SP headquarters in Lucknow where Mulayam Singh Yadav came back as chief minister for a fourth term.
‘I would like to congratulate the people of Uttar Pradesh who have brought Samajwadi Party back. The hope with which they have supported us, we will meet their expectations,’ a confident Mulayam Yadav said. ......IANS/NRIpress.com
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