SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal trails on home turf, 9,600 votes behind novice APP nominee
After the 8th round of counting, Parkash Singh Badal was unable to recover the early losses in the electoral battle and is currently trailing with over 9,600 votes from the AAP candidate.
With the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) appearing to be heading for a clean sweep in Punjab after having secured 88 of the 117 seats in the state assembly; it is likely to be a shock defeat of sorts for several political heavyweights in Punjab.
Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi who is losing from both the seats he was contesting on, veteran Shiromani Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal, former Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh and Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu are all trailing with huge margins, way behind their opponents.
Five-time Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, a SAD patriarch, who was seeking re-election from his home turf Lambi was trailing behind novice AAP candidate and his nearest rival Gurmeet Singh Khudian by a huge margin of 4,385 votes as early trends came in.
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After the 8th round of counting, Parkash Singh Badal was unable to recover the early losses in the electoral battle and is currently trailing with over 9,600 votes from the AAP candidate.
All of 94 years old, the SAD patriarch is the oldest candidate to be contesting the Punjab assembly polls 2022.
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal is also trailing on his home turf Jalalabad in Fazilka district. AAP’s Jagdeep Goldi Kamboj is leading by 11,129 votes over Sukhbir S Badal at Jalalabad after counting for the eighth round was completed on Thursday.
Popular exit polls on Monday had predicted a clear majority for the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, a state currently ruled by the Congress with chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi at the helm.
Punjab, a key border state, has seen the political scenario overshadowed with tumultuous year long protests by farmers against the three controversial farm laws framed by the Centre, which have since been repealed.
More than 50,000 officials have been deployed for the counting of votes at nearly 1,200 halls in the five states where assembly elections were held over February-March. Covid-19 guidelines are being followed during the exercise that began at 8 am amid tight security, according to polling officials.