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Badal junior to pass on baton to nonagenarian father?

Last Updated 11 December 2019, 05:46 IST

At 92 years of age, former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal doesn’t look like hanging up his boots anytime soon. Instead, he may possibly be in for a new inning to strengthen and revive the fortunes of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab, it is learnt.

Indications are that nonagenarian former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, who celebrated his 92nd birthday on Sunday, might take over reigns of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) from his 57-year old son Sukhbir Badal. The junior Badal, who is a member of parliament is currently the president of the 99-year old Akali Dal. The grand old party is to elect its new president on December 14 in holy city Amritsar.

Talks within the party indicate the possibility of a change of guard from the son to the father. In Congress-ruled Punjab, the graph of the Akali Dal, which has been plagued by dissent and dissensions, has fallen over the years, which is why a need for a change at the top level was being felt. The junior Badal, who has been deputy chief minister in Punjab when his father was the CM, is credited for strategizing his party’s electoral victory for two consecutive terms onwards of 2007 before Congresses Capt Amarinder Singh halted SAD’s juggernaut in 2017.

While the change of guard is being talked about, the final call in real terms will be taken by the senior Badal who will have to weigh the pros and cons of this decision to be the saddle. Many senior leaders parted ways with the SAD before the Lok Sabha elections a few months ago. Senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa too is showing enough inclination towards aligning with disgruntled leaders who have chosen to form a rebel outfit to counter the Badal party.

The Badal family suffers the blemish of sacrilege incidents in Punjab. A special investigation team is probing its role in these cases. The party hopes to settle some of the ruffled feathers within the party if the coronation of the senior Badal as party chief takes place. The senior suave Badal’s charm still is arguably more appealing, both within and outside the party.

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(Published 10 December 2019, 16:04 IST)

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