Kalia elected leader of Punjab BJP legislature party

Chandigarh, Feb 28 (UNI) Former minister Manoranjan Kalia was today unanImously elected leader of the 19-member Punjab BJP legislature party.

This decision was taken at the meeting of the newly elected BJP MLAs held at the party's state headquarters here.

National BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley who is incharge of Punjab affairs, former president Venkaiah Naidu, state chief Avinash Rai Khanna and newly elected MP from Amritsar Navjot Singh Sidhu were present at the meeting.

The BJP had won a record 19 of the 23 assembly seats that it had contested in the border state. Its ally, SAD had secured 48 of the 94 it contested.

Mr Kalia, a former state BJP chief was elected from the Jalandhar Central assembly constituency. He is considered close to SAD chief Prakash Singh Badal.

Earlier in the day a joint meeting of the SAD-BJP had uanmiously elected SAD supremo Mr Parkash Singh Badal as the leader of the alliance's legislature party. Four of the five independent MLAs have also extended unconditional support to Mr Badal, who was also elected leader of the SAD legislature party.

After his election, Mr Badal met state Governor Lt Gen (retd) S F Rodrigues and submitted a list of legislatures including the independents who have extended support to him. The SAD chief will take oath as Punjab Chief Minister on March two.

UNI