SAD (Badal) leaves 23 seats for its ally BJP

Jalandhar, Jan 12 (UNI) Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) has decided to put up candidates for 94 of the 117 assembly seats in Punjab, leaving the remaining 23 seats for its alliance partner BJP.

Talking to reporters here today, SAD (Badal) President and former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said that his party had conceded to the request of the BJP and left 23 seats for it.

He declared that Sant Ajit Singh will be the SAD candidate from Anandpur Sahib assembly constituency for the February 13 elections.

With this, the party has announced candidates for 93 assembly seats. The candidate for the Faridkot assembly seat was yet to be announced, Mr Badal said.

Meanwhile, the party has nominated Mr Manjit Singh Kadian as a member of the party political affairs committee(PAC), Mr Badal said.

Mr Badal charged Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh with hatching a conspiracy to disrupt assembly election in the state.

Mr Badal was in the town to inaugurate his party's state election office set up here for smooth coordination of election campaign for the February 13 assembly elections.

Meanwhile, influential Congress leaders from Kapurthala Malwinder Singh Chahal, Ajit Singh, Charan Singh and several others have quit the Congress and joined SAD(Badal).

UNI