Mann quits as party chief after poll debacle in Punjab

Fatehgarh Sahib, Mar 1 (UNI) Former MP Simranjit Singh Mann today resigned as president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), after remaining at the helm of party affairs for 18 long years.

Mr Mann's decision comes after the poor showing of his party in the just concluded Punjab assembly elections. The party which had put up candidates in 60 seats failed to win even a single seat, with even Mr Mann and his son biting the dust.

He has intimated his decision to his party's Political Affairs Committee(PAC) in writting. He has requested his party activists not to force him to change his decision, which he has taken after serious considerations.

In the letter to the PAC he has taken responsibility of the party's poor showing in the polls and requested the party leaders to convene a meeting of all district heads to elect a new president. He said that he would remain an active member of the party and obey all decisions.

Mr Mann had lost from Dhanaula constituency while his son Emaan Singh Mann faired poorly in the Sirhind assembly segment. A majority of his party candidates lost their security deposits.

UNI