Parkash Singh Badal: Gritty to the end, was laid low by final loss, age

Tribune News Service

Archit Watts

Lambi (Muktsar), April 25

The Assembly election results on March 10, 2022, came as a shocker for almost everyone when five-time former CM Parkash Singh Badal lost from his home turf Lambi and that too to a first-timer of AAP Gurmeet Singh Khudian (son of the late MP Jagdev Singh Khudian) by 11,396 votes. However, Badal was not among those who would sit at home after facing the defeat.

Part of election

“There is nothing to worry or feel sad about the election results. The win or loss is part of election. If a farmer faces crop failure, he does not stop sowing the next crop. Similarly, we have to go amid the public to know our shortcomings and work for their welfare. Even Indira Gandhi once lost the election. You can come to meet me anytime for any assistance. I will keep doing social work, be it financial help for any marriage, health-related issue or education...”

Despite his old age and suffering from some age-related diseases, he started a thanksgiving tour and that too exactly 10 days after the election results were announced. The Lambi MLA was, however, yet to start his thanksgiving tour.

However, his party men are still upset because of this statesman’s poll drubbing. Even Sukhbir Badal had recently addressed a public gathering and said he got emotional sometimes at night that his father had lost the election.

Political observers feel that there were several factors for the Badal’s defeat. One of these was that Badal could not start his election campaign early as he was tested positive for Covid and remained in hospital for nearly two weeks, just ahead of the elections.

Some people even say that the public was upset with SAD due to the sacrilege incidents during the SAD-BJP government and the drug menace. However, many SAD leaders claimed that it was an AAP wave, in which many political bigwigs lost.

Badal was even unwilling to contest the election this time but due to the requests made by his daughter-in-law and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal and son Sukhbir Badal that he had filed his nominations.

Post-election, he hardly visited the area and mostly remained indoors at his village residence or at the family’s Balasar farmhouse in Haryana and a residence in Chandigarh.

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