At 94, Parkash Singh Badal is the oldest to file nomination for Punjab election
With his candidature, the Shiromani Akali Dal hopes to regain the vote confidence of Punjabis and win back the state in the assembly elections.
Five-time Punjab chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patron Parkash Singh Badal on Monday filed his nomination for the Punjab assembly election from Lambi constituency. At 94, he is the oldest candidate contesting in the upcoming polls.
In a multi-party poll contest like Punjab, the presence of Parkash Singh Badal strengthens the Akalis' spot to regain the vote confidence of the Punjabis.
"The entire party pleaded with Sardar Parkash Singh Badal not to retire from politics and he has acceded to our request to contest the forthcoming elections from Lambi. Badal Sahab has always been in the forefront to offer his services for the welfare of Punjab and Punjabis and he is doing so again," Sukhbir Singh Badal said at a press conference, as quoted by news agency ANI.
Senior Badal, who was born on December 8, 1927, at Abul Khurana, near Malout, in the southern part of the Punjab “cotton belt”, was elected as the chief minister for the first time in 1970 and became the youngest chief minister in India at the time.
He was the president of the SAD from 1995 to 2008.
A five-time MLA from the Lambi constituency, Parkash Singh Badal has been on-foot, continuously meeting people of his home constituency and their houses despite his age.
He is also expected to be a part of SAD's poll campaign at district-wise rallies to pep up party’s poll prospects.
Punjab is set to go to the polls on February 20 and the counting of votes will take place on March 10.
The state will witness a battle between the Akalis, Congress, BJP and Aam Aadmi Party.
In the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls, Congress had won an absolute majority in the state by winning 77 seats and ousting the 10-year-strong SAD-BJP coalition government.
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