Sukhbir Badal claims 'Punjab CM will lose poll deposit'; Cong dares SAD chief to contest

Taking on the ruling Congress, Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday, predicted that Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh will lose his election deposit in the 2022 elections. Highlighting the Congress infighting in Punjab, he alleged that Congress MLAs themselves are against the CM. Akali Dal has stitched up an alliance with BSP for Punjab polls finalising a 97-20 seat share.

Badal: Amarinder will lose his deposit

Reminiscing its previous alliance with BSP, Badal said that in 1996 they had allied with and had seen a clean sweep. Akali Dal has promised that once SAD forms the govt, deputy CM will be from the Dalit community, in a bid to appease BSP. Both parties had contested the 1996 Lok Sabha polls together and won 11 out of 13 seats in Punjab.  When asked about BJP's future, Badal claimed that their ex-ally had deviated from their principles on the Farm Laws leading to their parting ways.

In response to Badal's dare, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu told the Ferozpur MP to contest the election from Patiala - CM Amarinder Singh's constituency. "Tell Sukhbir Badal to contest from Patiala if he thinks so. He should think that how many MLAs does his party has in Punjab today. Mere words won't serve any purpose, he'll know if he'll go to the field. This is an opportunist alliance," said Sidhu.

SAD-BSP alliance

On Saturday, Akali Dal and BSP formed an alliance for the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, coming together after a gap of 25 years. Under the tie-up, the BSP will fight 20 of the 117 Assembly seats while the rest will be contested by the SAD, said Badal. BSP chief Mayawati dubbed the alliance between the SAD and her party as a "new political and social initiative" which will usher in progress and prosperity in Punjab, congratulating former CM Parkash Singh Badal over the phone. Punjab has 31.94 percent Dalit population, mainly concentrated in Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr and Kapurthala districts.

Meanwhile, the grand old party has been facing infighting on several fronts and remains rudderless at the top, postponing its party chief elections time and again. In Punjab, incumbent CM Capt Amarinder Singh has been hauled in front of a 3-committee panel over rebel MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu's grouse against the CM. While Congress has stated that Singh will remain the party's CM pick in 2022, it has refused to take action against Sidhu, mulling to reward him with a Deputy CM post.