SAD-Akali Dal alliance ousts Cong govt in Punjab

Chandigarh, Feb 27 (UNI) Riding high on the crest of anti-incumbency and fuelled by common man's anger over back-breaking price-hike, SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal led the SAD-BJP alliance to power in Punjab capturing 67 in the 117-member Vidhan Sabha today, ousting the ruling Congress.

Of the total 116 seats for which results were declared today, the SAD bagged 48 seats while its alliance partner BJP won a record 19 of the 23 seats it contested.

The Congress bagged 44 seats while five independents emerged victorious. All the other parties, including the BSP which was in fray in all the 116 seats, the CPM and CPI, SAD (Amritsar), Uma Bharti's Bhartiya Janshakti, Ramvilas Paswan's LJP and NCP drew a blank.

The polling for Beas, which was postponed due to poll violence that claimed an Akali activists life, will be held on March 11.

Meanwhile, star BJP candidate Navjot Singh Sidhu polled 4,44,748 votes to be re-elected from Amritsar Lok Sabha seat which he resigned in December last after being convicted in an 18-year-old road rage case.

He defeated Punjab Finance Minister Surinder Singla (Congress) by a margin of 77,626 votes in the bye-election which witnessed a bitter campaign.

SAD supremo Parkash Singh Badal, set to take reins of the government in Punjab for the fourth time, has called a meeting of the newly-elected MLAs of the SAD-BJP combine tomorrow to formally elect the leader of the alliance partners' legislature group.

Punjab Governor S F Rodrigues dissolved the 12th Vidhan Sabha of the state with effect from this afternoon, paving the way for the constitution of the new House, with the completion of election process.

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