Tag: Punjab

Punjab Lok Sabha elections 2024: A look at BJP candidates

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Punjab, comprising 13 parliamentary constituencies, is gearing up to vote for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in a single phase on June 1. This time, the state is witnessing a multi-cornered contest between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Despite being members of the INDIA bloc, AAP and Congress have decided to go solo in Punjab, while the two former allies — BJP and SAD — earlier failed to revive their alliance.

During the 2019 general elections, the Congress won eight out of 13 seats in Punjab, while the BJP and SAD received two seats each. The remaining seat went to the AAP.

Amid its growing dominance, the BJP is aiming to improve its tally in Punjab in the 2024 elections.

In recent years, the saffron party has welcomed multiple senior leaders from various opposition parties, including former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, his wife and sitting Patiala MP Preneet Kaur, two-time Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu and AAP’s Jalandhar MP Sushil Kumar Rinku among several others.

Also, this will be the party’s first general elections in Punjab under the leadership of its state unit president Sunil Jakhar, who joined the BJP in 2022.

Voting dates

Voting for the 2024 elections in Punjab will be conducted in the last phase on June 1. The counting of votes will be done on June 4.

During the 2019 polls, the state registered a total voter turnout of 65.94%.

Total seats

The state has 13 parliamentary constituencies, out of which four seats are reserved for SC candidates, while the remaining nine are unreserved.

BJP candidates

With the support of several prominent names in the state, the BJP is hoping for a better performance in Punjab this time. Here’s a complete list of candidates announced by the party in Punjab for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections:

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Farmers’ rail roko protest in Patiala: 46 passenger trains cancelled, 50 diverted; check list

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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At least 50 trains were diverted on Friday as the ‘rail roko’ protest by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) continued at the Shambhu railway station in Punjab’s Patiala district.

The trains have been diverted to the Ambala-Chandigarh-Ludhiana route, the CPRO said. The Ambala-Ludhiana direct route and via Sambhu border remains impacted by the protests, it said.

Besides them, 46 passenger trains are expected to remain cancelled on this section until Saturday, May 4, according to reports.

Among the cancelled trains are Kalka Express, Satluj Express, Chandigarh-Amritsar Intercity Express and Jammu Mail.

For the last few weeks, farmers, under the banner of KMM and SKM (Non-Political), have been holding a sit-in on the tracks of the Shambhu railway station in Punjab, which lies close to the Haryana border.

The protesting farmers have made several demands, including a guarantee of MSP and an immediate release of three farmers earlier arrested by the Haryana Police.

The three arrested farmers are Navdeep and Gurkirat, who were taken into custody on March 28, and Anish, who was arrested on February 13.

Meanwhile, farmers group BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) has announced its plans to hold protests against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Gurmeet Singh Khuddian and Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer if their demands are not implemented, reports said.

While Khuddian is AAP’s candidate from Bathinda, Hayer has been fielded by the party from Sangrur in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The organisation noted that protests will be held against them in several villages.

They have asked for ownership rights of nearly five acres of land for Kiranjit Kaur, who is the wife of a deceased farmer, at Jahangir village near Dhuri. They have sought relief for damage to crops and fair compensation for laying gas pipelines in several villages in Bathinda.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Meet Amritpal Singh, the separatist leader contesting Lok Sabha polls from Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Self-proclaimed Sikh preacher and separatist leader Amritpal Singh is all set to contest as an Independent candidate from the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat in Punjab. Currently in Dibrugarh jail in Assam, Singh has been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and National Security Act. He will contest against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s Laljit Singh Bhullar and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Manjeet Singh Manna for the seat.

Amritpal Singh, the leader of Waris Punjab De, a pro-Khalistan group, was arrested last April. This occurred after he and his supporters, armed with swords and guns, forcibly entered a police station on the outskirts of Amritsar in February 2023, to help his aide, Lovepreet Singh Toofan, escape prison.

Following the incident, the Punjab Police launched a crackdown against Singh and his organisation. They were charged with various offences such as inciting social discord, assaulting police officers, and obstructing public officials from performing their duties.

Singh, who had modelled himself after the dead Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, managed to evade the police on March 18 last year in Jalandhar. The Punjab Police said at the time that he had changed his clothes and switched from a Maruti Brezza car to a motorcycle to evade arrest. Singh had reportedly sought refuge in a gurdwara before changing his appearance and fleeing on a motorcycle. He was branded a ‘fugitive’.

Singh recorded and released several videos during that time.

In his first recorded video message released on a YouTube channel, Amritpal Singh urged Sikh people worldwide to join the Sarbat Khalsa programme on Baisakhi and talked about unity in addressing Punjab’s issues. “For a long time, our community has been engrossed in putting up fronts on small issues. If we have to solve the issues of Punjab, then we have to be together,” he said.

Singh also addressed the government’s actions, stating they had “cheated us” and said many of his companions were “arrested, NSA was imposed” and sent to Assam. “That’s why I appeal to all Sikhs to assemble on the occasion of Baisakhi,” he said.

A day after that, an audio clip allegedly of the Khalistani separatist was circulated widely on social media. In the recording, a man speaking in Punjabi said he was Amritpal Singh and claimed he did not make demands for surrender to the Punjab government. “These are all rumours,” he said in the audio.

“I have not made any surrender demands to the government,” he stated. “I am not afraid of going to jail or police custody. Let them do what they want,” he said. He also said he was ‘weakened’ and gets to eat only one meal a day.

A few days later, Singh released a second video claiming he was not a fugitive and would soon “appear in front of the world.” In the video posted on the same YouTube channel, the ‘Waris De Punjab’ head said, “I am not a fugitive, but a rebel. I have not run away.” He claimed that he was not “afraid of the government.”

“Do whatever you want to do,” he challenged, “Whoever wants to beat me, I am not afraid.”

Later Amritpal Singh was arrested in April and detained in Dibrugarh jail where nine of his associates have also been held.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Farmers’ protest to water crisis, key political issues in Punjab

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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With four major parties planning to run independently in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, Punjab’s political landscape is poised for a major showdown. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Congress, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have all decided to go solo on the Punjab soil.

The polling dates have been set, and the election will be held in seven phases across India starting on April 19. The results will be announced on June 4.

Punjab has 13 parliamentary seats. During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and SAD won two seats each as allies before they parted ways. The Congress secured eight seats and AAP won from the remaining constituency. As far as the vote share was concerned, Congress was on the top with 40.12%, followed by SAD (27.45%), BJP (9.63%), and AAP received (7.38%).

The Lok Sabha polls in Punjab come just a couple of years after the state, in a shock verdict, brought AAP to power.

Key issues that dominate Punjab elections:

1. Farmers’ protest

In Punjab, the first farmers’ movement (2020–21) had a significant political impact, compelling SAD to sever its 24-year alliance with the BJP. This helped AAP gain ground in rural regions ahead of the 2022 state assembly elections. The Congress, which was in power in the state and backed the farmers, suffered because, at the most critical points of the agitation, it was preoccupied with internal squabbling.

Issues about farmers, such as the Minimum Support Price, are likely to be crucial to the campaign this time around as well.

2. Unemployment and rural debt

Major issues like unemployment and rural debt will probably take centre stage in the election campaign in the state. The opposition views the BJP’s implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 and the revocation of Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir as divisive and uniformity-imposing measures. The BJP intends to emphasise these as accomplishments. Debt in rural areas is a major issue as well; of the almost 9,000 farmers who died by suicide between 2000 and 2018, 88% had significant debt.

3. Drug abuse

The drug abuse crisis is far from over in Punjab. For example, government records indicate that heroin seizures in 2022 reached 647 kilogrammes, up 14% from 568 kg in 2021.

Even while the ruling party has been taking action such as proposing to ‘decriminalise’ drug use and sending addicts found in possession of tiny amounts of drugs to de-addiction facilities, a comprehensive strategy is required to treat the problem as opposed to a fragmented one.

4. Overall debt

In 2023–2024, Punjab was expected to have a budget deficit of around 5.0% of the GSDP. Although this is less than the 5.2% from the previous fiscal year, it is still more than the initial estimate of 3.8%. The central government’s allowable ceiling for the budget deficit in FY23 and FY24 was 3.5% and 4%, respectively, greater in each of these years.

Of all the Indian states, Punjab has one of the highest debt levels. Its outstanding liabilities are projected to be 46.8% of GSDP by the end of 2024.

5. Water crisis

The water problem in Punjab has been a major source of unrest. Before the Green Revolution in the middle of the 1960s, thousands of small-scale farmers staged a nonviolent protest against the government’s imposition of high irrigated water costs. Climate change and the Green Revolution have made Punjab’s water issue and the continuing civil unrest worse.

Since the high-yielding variety seeds need three times more water than conventional seeds, the groundwater level in Punjab is dropping by around 0.49 metres per year. The lack of water has led to both minor and major concerns, ranging from local farmers’ union demonstrations against the concretisation of canals to the Punjab-Haryana dispute over the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Lok Sabha polls: Advantage AAP as rivals try to get their acts together in Punjab

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Punjab could be an opportunity lost for the fledgling opposition INDIA bloc.

Supposed partners in that alliance, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress are now fighting each other on all 13 seats in Punjab. Going by the bitter exchanges witnessed in the last Punjab Assembly session, it would be a no-holds-barred contest.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) couldn’t have wished for more under the circumstances as it has not yet been able to revive its old partnership with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Voting in Punjab will be held on June 1, the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress bagged eight of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab in 2019, bucking the pro-BJP trend in neighbouring states. The SAD and the BJP, then fighting as allies, won two seats each. The Aam Aadmi Party got just the Sangrur seat then.

But the AAP stormed the state in the 2022 assembly polls winning 92 of the 117 seats, and is now eyeing a much bigger chunk of the Lok Sabha pie as well.

Going into the campaign, Arvind Kejriwal’s party will focus on the implementation of the promises it made ahead of the state elections — free electricity for up to 300 units per month, government jobs and steps taken against corruption.

Also showcased will be its “Aam Aadmi clinics” and “Schools of Eminence” with modern infrastructure.

The polls will be a test for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann who has expressed confidence that his AAP will sweep the elections in Punjab with a 13-0 result. “History will be created,” he said recently.

The AAP is expected to face criticism from the opposition parties over issues like law and order, drug trafficking, illegal sand mining and the failure to fulfil a key promise to provide Rs 1,000 per month to women.

Ahead of the election announcement, there was speculation over the BJP and the SAD reviving their alliance that unraveled in 2020 — when the Akalis walked out of the NDA over the three “anti-farmer” bills enacted at the Centre.

Punjab farmer unions started a fresh agitation last month for a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for crops. Their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march has been stalled at the Haryana border but the protest still simmers.

And the Akalis who left the NDA alliance over the farmers’ issue are unlikely to shake hands with the BJP while the agitation is still on.

As Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann began a mediation of sorts between the farm leaders and the Centre, the Akali Dal suspended its own “Punjab Bachao Yatra” in solidarity with the farmers, who form a major chunk of its vote base.

After parting with the Akalis, the BJP aspired to increase its own footprint in Punjab by wooing Sikhs. It brought into its fold several Sikh leaders, including former chief minister Amarinder Singh, Rana Gurmit Singh, Fatehjung Bajwa and Parminder Brar.

The Congress, which is the main opposition party in Punjab, would like to retain its previous tally. But, as during the last assembly polls, the party is challenged by the infighting in its own ranks.

Its former state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has started holding rallies on his own without consulting the state leadership, and some party leaders have sought disciplinary action against the former cricketer.

Again, the AAP stands to gain.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

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Politically influential Malwa belt holds key in Punjab

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Malwa belt in Punjab is always considered the biggest and politically influential region particularly during Assembly elections, where if a party secures maximum assembly seats in this belt, it can easily form the government in the state.

Punjab can broadly be divided into three regions — Malwa, Majha and Doaba.

Beyond the Sutlej river, it is called the Malwa region, the Doaba region falls between the Beas and Sutlej rivers, while Majha falls between the Ravi and the Beas rivers.

As far as the Parliamentary polls are concerned, eight seats — Ludhiana, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Faridkot (SC), Fatehgarh Sahib (SC), Patiala, Anandpur Sahib and Sangrur fall in the Malwa region.

Two seats — Hoshairpur (SC) and Jalandhar (SC) — are in the Doaba region. The Majha region broadly comprises three parliamentary seats — Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Khadoor Sahib.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress won eight parliamentary seats in Punjab, bucking the pro-Modi trend seen across the northern and central India in that general election. It won Ludhiana, Anandpur Sahib, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot from the Malwa region, and Amritsar and Khadoor Sahib in the Majha region. It also won Jalandhar which is in the Doaba region.

However, in the 2023 by-election, AAP wrested the Jalandhar seat from the Congress.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won from Bathinda and Ferozepur, which are in the Malwa region. AAP managed to win the Sangrur seat, which is also in the Malwa belt.

The BJP won the Hoshiarpur (Doaba) and Gurdaspur (Majha) seats. However, in the 2022 by-elections, SAD (Amritsar) won the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat while AAP won the Jalandhar seat in 2023 by-election.

The Malwa region has 69 assembly seats out of total 117 in the state. This region’s sway over Punjab politics can be gauged from the fact that many leaders like Parkash Singh Badal, Amarinder Singh, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Beant Singh, Bhagwant Mann who became chief ministers of the state hailed from this belt.

The Malwa belt was the epicentre of the farmers’ agitation in 2020-21 against the now-repealed Centre’s three farm laws.

In the 2022 assembly polls, AAP swept the Malwa belt by winning 66 out of 69 seats in this region. The Majha region is also significant as far as politics is concerned. It is called the “Panthic” belt. This belt is home to the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

The Doaba belt has a sizeable population of the scheduled caste (SC) community. The SC community constitutes around 32% of Punjab’s population which is the highest in the country.

Maximum non-resident Indians (NRIs) in Punjab also come from this region.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

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Meet Preneet Kaur, four-time Congress MP, who has joined BJP ahead of Lok Sabha polls 2024

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Preneet Kaur, a Lok Sabha MP and wife of former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, on Thursday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress party had suspended Kaur in February 2023 for anti-party activities. She joined the saffron party in the presence of its national general secretary Vinod Tawde and leaders Tarun Chugh and Sunil Jhakhar.

“I will work for my constituency, my state and the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I had a good innings with the Congress party and I hope I will have a better innings with the BJP,” Kaur told ANI.

Asked whether she would contest the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, she added, “That depends on the BJP”.

In an interview with The Indian Express, Amarinder Singh and Preneet Kaur’s daughter Jai Inder Kaur said that her mother will contest the upcoming general elections from Patiala.

Asked if she would contest the Lok Sabha polls, Jai Inder Kaur said, “No, my mother (Preneet Kaur) will contest from Patiala… My turn will probably come in another 2-3 years (hinting at the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections). She is already working in the constituency, is a four-time MP and is still very active. She is a winning candidate for the BJP.”

Who is Preneet Kaur?

Born on October 3, 1944, in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla, Preneet Kaur is the daughter of Gyan Singh Kahlon and Satinder Kaur. She married Captain Amarinder Singh on October 31, 1964. The couple has two children — a son named Raninder Singh, and a daughter, Jai Inder Kaur.

Kaur made her debut in politics, contesting the 1999 Lok Sabha elections from Patiala on a Congress ticket. While the party lost the elections, Kaur won from the Patiala seat. She later went on to win from the Lok Sabha constituency again in 2004 and 2009 respectively.

She has served in various committees, including those on Food, Civil Supplies and Public Distribution; Women’s Empowerment and Water Resources. She also served as the Union Minister of State for External Affairs between 2009 and 2012.

However, in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Preneet Kaur was defeated by AAP leader Dharamvir Gandhi from the Patiala seat by a margin of over 20,000 votes.

After Amarinder Singh won the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat in the 2014 polls, he vacated the Patiala (Urban) Assembly constituency. Later that year, Kaur fought the by-poll from the seat and defeated the rival candidates.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Preneet Kaur again registered a win from the Patiala Lok Sabha constituency by securing over 45% vote share.

In 2021, Captain Amarinder Singh left the Congress party and announced his party — Punjab Lok Congress — ahead of the Assembly elections in the state. After the party’s debacle in the 2022 Punjab polls, he merged it into the BJP in September 2022.

According to reports, Preneet Kaur is likely to head the Punjab unit of the BJP.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Lok Sabha elections 2024: AAP announces 8 candidates for Punjab, fields 5 cabinet ministers

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday released its first list of eight candidates for Punjab, fielding five Cabinet ministers from the state. As per the list, the party has fielded Cabinet ministers Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal from Amritsar, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer from Sangrur, Laljit Singh Bhullar from Khadoor Sahib, Gurmeet Singh Khudian from Bathinda and Balbir Singh from Patiala.

📢 Announcement! 📢

The Aam Aadmi Party proudly presents its candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024 in Punjab: pic.twitter.com/q1xwSab32v

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 14, 2024

Sushil Kumar Rinku, who won from the Jalandhar seat in the 2023 by-election, has been fielded from the seat again.

Former Congress MLA from Bassi Pathana, Gurpreet Singh GP, who joined the AAP on March 9 in the presence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, has been named as the party’s candidate from the Fatehgarh Sahib seat. Besides them, the ruling party in Punjab has fielded Punjabi actor Karamjeet Anmol from the Faridkot seat.

AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal last month announced that his party would contest all 14 seats in Punjab and Chandigarh.

While addressing an event on doorstep delivery of ration in the state, he said, “For the Lok Sabha elections, Punjab has 13 seats and one from Chandigarh… AAP will declare its candidates on all of these 14 seats. You have to make AAP sweep all these seats with a full majority”.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party won the maximum — eight seats — in Punjab, while Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP secured two seats each and the AAP was restricted to one — Bhagwant Mann from Sangrur.

In the 2022 Assembly elections, AAP registered a landslide victory, securing 92 of 117 seats in the Punjab Legislative Assembly. The Congress party managed 18 seats, while three seats went to the Shiromani Akali Dal.

The Election Commission is expected to announce the schedule for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections soon.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Opinion Poll | Congress poised for victory in Punjab with 7 seats

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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In Punjab, anticipation and reflection grip voters as the upcoming Lok Sabha elections loom on the horizon. According to a recent News18 opinion poll, the Congress party is projected to clinch victory with expectations of securing 7 out of the 13 seats up for grabs. On the other hand, the NDA is anticipated to secure 3 seats, leaving the remaining 3 to various other parties, including Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The projected vote shares paint an intriguing picture, with the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A bloc expected to command a significant 38% share, followed by the NDA with 13%, and other parties collectively holding 49%. A breakdown of the ‘OTHERS’ category reveals SAD with 22%, AAP with 15%, and other smaller parties accumulating 12%.

Delving deeper into public sentiment, the News18 opinion poll gauged satisfaction levels with both the performance of the central government and the sitting MPs over the past five years. Out of 2,712 respondents, 72% expressed varying degrees of satisfaction with the central government’s performance, while sentiments towards sitting MPs were more diverse, ranging from ‘very dissatisfied’ to ‘very satisfied’.

This electoral anticipation follows Punjab’s political landscape during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when the Indian National Congress (INC) emerged as the dominant force, securing 8 out of 13 seats with a notable vote share of 40.6%. Notably, Manish Tewari, representing the Anandpur Sahib constituency, clinched victory for the Congress.

Meanwhile, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) secured 2 seats with a vote share of 27.8%, including Sukhbir Singh Badal’s win in Ferozpur, solidifying the party’s position. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to secure 2 seats, with Sunny Deol emerging victorious from Gurdaspur, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) clinched 1 seat with a 7.5% vote share.

The electoral battle delineated into a contest between the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The UPA, spearheaded by the Congress, emerged triumphant with 8 seats, consolidating its influence in the state. Conversely, the NDA, comprising the SAD and BJP, secured 4 seats.

However, the SAD decided to sever its 24-year-old alliance with the BJP. In a historic move announced in September 2020, the SAD’s decision came in response to the BJP’s support for contentious agricultural reform bills in Parliament, leading to the resignation of Harsimrat Kaur Badal from the Modi government.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Former Punjab minister Manpreet Badal suffers heart attack

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Former Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal suffered a heart attack on Sunday and was admitted to a hospital.

The 61-year-old leader underwent an angioplasty as there was a blockage in one of his arteries, a doctor attending to him said, adding his condition is stable.

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal went to the hospital to inquire about the health of Manpreet.

“He is perfectly ok,” said Sukhbir Singh Badal, who is Manpreet’s cousin.

Akali leader Sikandar Singh Maluka said Manpreet was taken to the hospital after he complained of pain on Sunday.

Manpreet Singh Badal switched from the Congress to the BJP in January last year.

The nephew of former chief minister and Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal had joined the Congress in 2016.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow