Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday said Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh is the most hated man in Punjab. Badal added that not only the people but also Congress MLAs are against Singh. He further said that the Chief Minister will lose his election deposit in the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.
"Captain Amarinder Singh will lose his election deposit in the upcoming elections. If you conduct a poll on the most hated man in Punjab, the result will be Amarinder Singh. Not only us but people & Congress MLAs are also against him," Badal told news agency ANI.
Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Saturday formed an alliance to contest the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections together.
SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and BSP's Satish Mishra jointly held a press conference on Saturday to announce the alliance.
Briefing the mediapersons, Badal said, "It is a new day in Punjab politics. Shiromani Akali Dal and Bahujan Samaj Party to fight the 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly elections and future elections together. Out of 117 seats in the Punjab Assembly, BSP will contest on 20 seats and SAD will contest the remaining 97 seats."
BSP MP Satish Mishra also called the alliance a historic move in Punjab politics. "It is a historic day as the alliance has been formed with SAD, which is Punjab's biggest party. In 1996 both BSP and SAD jointly fought Lok Sabha polls and emerged victorious on 11 of 13 seats. This time the alliance will not be broken," said Mishra.
Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal offers sweets to Bahujan?Samaj Party (BSP) Secretary General Satish Chandra Mishra during a joint press conference at the SAD head office in Chandigarh, Saturday, June 12, 2021. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) formed an alliance on Saturday for the 2022 Punjab Assembly election. | (PTI Photo)
Punjab, June 12 (ANI): Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal holds a sword along with BSP General Secretary Satish Mishra after stitching an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ahead of the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, in Chandigarh on Saturday. | (ANI photo)
BSP chief Mayawati dubbed the alliance between the SAD and her party as a "new political and social initiative" which will usher in progress and prosperity in Punjab.
"The alliance announced by SAD and BSP in Punjab today is a new political and social initiative, which will surely usher in a new era of much-awaited development, progress and prosperity of the people in the state. Hearty congratulations and best wishes to the people for this historic step," said Mayawati in a tweet in Hindi.
The BSP supremo also attacked the Congress-led government in Punjab, alleging that every section of the society was "suffering" in the state.
"Although every section of the society in Punjab is suffering from poverty, corruption and unemployment, etc. under the Congress party's rule, it is the Dalits, farmers, youth and women who have been hit the most. It is very important for us to make this alliance a success," she said in another tweet.
(With ANI and PTI inputs)
