Chief Ministers of Punjab

No	Name	From	To	Party
1	Dr Gopi Chand Bhargava	15-Aug-47	13-Apr-49	Congress
2	Bhim Sen Sachar	13-Apr-49	18-Oct-49	Congress
3	Dr Gopi Chand Bhargava	18-Oct-49	20-Jun-51	Congress
4	President`s Rule	20-Jun-51	17-Apr-52
5	Bhim Sen Sachar	17-Apr-52	23-Jan-56	Congress
6	Pratap Singh Kairon	23-Jan-56	21-Jun-64	Congress
7	Dr Gopi Chand Bhargava	21-Jun-64	6-Jul-64	Congress
8	Kishan	7-Jul-64	5-Jul-66	Congress
9	President`s Rule	5-Jul-66	1-Nov-66
10	Giani Gurmukh Singh Mussafir	1-Nov-66	8-Mar-67	Congress
11	Justice Gurnam Singh	8-Mar-67	25-Nov-67	Shiromani Akali Dal
12	Lachhman Singh Gill	25-Nov-67	23-Aug-68	Shiromani Akali Dal
13	President`s Rule	23-Aug-68	17-Feb-69
14	Justice Gurnam Singh	17-Feb-69	27-Mar-70	Shiromani Akali Dal
15	Parkash Singh Badal	27-Mar-70	14-Jun-71	Shiromani Akali Dal
16	President`s Rule	14-Jun-71	17-Mar-72
17	Giani Singh Singh	17-Mar-72	30-Apr-77	Congress
18	President`s Rule	30-Apr-77	20-Jun-77
19	Parkash Singh Badal	20-Jun-77	17-Feb-80	Shiromani Akali Dal
20	President`s Rule	17-Feb-80	6-Jun-80
21	Darbara Singh	6-Jun-80	10-Oct-83	Congress
22	President`s Rule	10-Oct-83	29-Sep-85
23	Surjit Singh Barnala	29-Sep-85	11-Jun-87	Shiromani Akali Dal
24	President`s Rule	11-Jun-87	25-Feb-92
25	Beant Singh	25-Feb-92	31-Aug-95	Congress
26	Harcharan Singh Brar	31-Aug-95	21-Jan-96	Congress
27	Rajinder Kaur Bhattal	21-Jan-96	12-Feb-97	Congress
28	Parkash Singh Badal	12-Feb-97	26-Feb-02	Shiromani Akali Dal
29	Amarinder Singh	26-Feb-02	1-Mar-07	Congress
30	Parkash Singh Badal	1-Mar-07	Present	Shiromani Akali Dal

Punjab, with 117 constituencies in 17 districts(of which 34 are reserved), will witness polling in single phase on January 30,2012

Party Position after 2007 Assembly Elections

Shiromani Akali Dal     48
BJP                             19
INC                              44
Others                          5
Total                         116

Counting of Votes Deferred to March 6,2012

The EC has announced that counting for all five states headed for elections is being moved from March 4 to March 6,2012.

To Conduct Fair and Peaceful Assembly Elections in Punjab

The EC has appointed 22 IG rank officials along with 59 IAS officials and deployed several companies of Central Security Forces to observe the activities in different constituencies and ensure clean elections in the state.

Punjab Industrialists Threaten to Boycott the 2012 Assembly Polls

In view of the Election Commission’s strict order relating to seizure of cash carried without any proper evidence, the industrialists of the state have threatened to boycott the upcoming Assembly polls.
The Election Commission team on Thursday seized unaccounted money worth Rs 63. 94 lakh from Mohali and Ladlu regions of the state, bringing the total amount of illegal money recovered to Rs 5.64 crore.

Triangular Contest likely in Punjab Polls

Instead of the direct contest between the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine and the opposition Congress, the emergence of former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Badal and his newly floated People's Party of Punjab (PPP) as a third force will make the contest on majority of the seats a triangular one.

BSP to Contest Alone in Punjab Polls

The BSP announced that it will contest alone January 30 Punjab Polls, putting to rest all speculations about the party forging pre-poll alliance with People's Party of Punjab. "We did not have any meeting with (PPP head) Manpreet (Singh Badal) and neither did he meet us," BSP general secretary Narender Kashyap said after releasing the first list of 90 candidates. Barring a former MP, the candidates are first-timers. Kashyap said the party would soon announce the names for the remaining 27 seats.

SAD Declares Candidates List

The SAD will contest 94 assembly seats leaving 23 for its ally BJP.The party has so far announced candidates for 73 seats in the 117-member assembly.Names of 21 more party contestants will be announced shortly - said SAD Chief and Dy. CM Sukhbir Singh Badal said

BJP Declares Candidates List

BJP on Monday night Jan 02,2012 declared 20 seats for the forthcoming Assembly elections.

Congress Announce Candidates for 114 Seats - Thursday Jan 05,2012

Several relatives of important politicians figure in the list of 114 candidates announced late Thursday night for the state's 117 assembly seats .Most relatives of Congress leaders in the fray are first-timers. Congress MPs from Punjab seem to have got a lion's share as far as seats for close relatives are concerned.

3 Badals Fight Against Each Other in Lambi

The 3 Badals are pitted against each other for the Lambi Assembly constituency in Punjab.Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal is contesting against younger brother Gurdas Badal(People's Party of Punjab) and their cousin Maheshinder Singh Badal(INC)

Olympian Pargat Singh Joins SAD

Former India Hockey Captain Pargat Singh has joined the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)and will contest from the Jalandhar Cantonment constituency.He has resigned from the post of Director, Sports to contest the elections.

Amarinder Singh's brother quits Congress, joins Akali Dal

Malvinder Singh(state chief of the Congress party)brother of former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh has joined joining the rebel Akali Dal camp just ahead of the state elections. Malvinder quit the Congress after he wasn't given the party ticket from Samana. Instead his nephew and Amarinder's son Raninder bagged it.

Punjab Polls - The Issues

1)Punjab is a state that believes in ‘change’ as is evident by its 15-year track record of having changed the incumbent government every five years.Anti-incumbency has emerged as a major political factor in the last couple of decades in Punjab. The people of the state have invariably rejected the incumbent party in successive elections making it almost a trend which is likely to be followed this time also, giving Congress an edge over the SAD-BJP combine

2) Congress is clearly on the back foot on the issue of corruption owing to various charges of graft on the party-led coalition in the Centre. What has been more worrisome has been the party’s inability to defend itself against the allegations including of inaction on the issue of Lokpal

SAD-BJP combine fares no better as a number of BJP ministers are facing corruption charges. The public debt of the state is at record high of about 75000 crores. The Rs 18 crore paddy scam involving SAD leader Jagtar Singh Rajeana’s son Mandeep Singh Brar will also haunt the ruling combine. SAD-BJP combine may also feel the heat of Rs 6 crore scam in the Shagun Scheme of Punjab government

3)Large number of rebels who have emerged after the announcement of candidates is another cause of worry for the Congress. The biggest embarrassment was the exit of Malvinder Singh(the brother of former Chief Minister and PCC chief Captain Amarinder Singh)who joied the opposition SAD to campaign against the Congress

4)Farmers form a big chunk of vote-bank in Punjab. Any party that wishes to win polls in the state must have the support of farmers. This time the farmers appear to be not too happy with the ruling Akali Dal-BJP combine because of the infrastructural bottlenecks and sloppy implementation of social schemes

1080 Aspirants for 117 Punjab Assembly Seats

Of the 2,054 nominations received till Thursday (January 12), the last date of filing these, 801 nominations had been rejected after scrutiny.Most of the nominations were rejected as the forms were not complete or required documents were not submitted before the returning officers.Monday (January 16) is the last date for withdrawal of nominations by the candidates.

After withdrawal of nomination by 179 candidates, a total of 1080 candidates were left in fray for the election to the 117-member Punjab Assembly on January 30. Out of 1,259 candidates, whose papers were in order, 179 withdrew on the last day of withdrawal, leaving 1080 in fray.
Most of the 117 Assembly seats will witness a triangular contest between -
ruling SAD-BJP alliance,
main opposition Congress and
Sanjha Morcha which includes the Left and People's Party of Punjab (PPP) led by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's estranged nephew Manpreet.

Crorepati top political leaders in Punjab

They were super-rich was never in doubt but the top political leadership in Punjab, especially from two families, are worth nearly Rs 250 crore ($48 million) of declared wealth. Affidavits submitted by the top politicos in Punjab while filing their nominations to various seats for the state's Jan 30 assembly polls have revealed that their riches are getting bigger and better.

CM Parkash Singh Badal(84 years), the father of Sukhbir Badal declared assets of nearly Rs.7 crore, is the poorest member of the Badal clan.CM Parkash Singh Badal is contesting for the Lambi assembly seat against his younger brother Gurdas Badal of the Peoples Party of Punjab (PPP) and first cousin Mahesinder Singh Badal of the Congress.

Gurdas Badal(81 Years) of (PPP)who never came into political limelight earlier unlike his elder brother, has declared assets of nearly Rs.20 crore.

The ruling SAD President and Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal(contesting for the Jalalabad assembly seat from the border district of Ferozepur) has declared assets of over Rs.76 crore, and his wife and Bathinda MP, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, is worth Rs.15.38 crore.While the net declared wealth of the Badal couple alone is over Rs.91.38 crore, they, ironically, do not even own a car. All that Sukhbir has in the name of a vehicle is a tractor.

Punjab Congress president and former chief minister Amarinder Singh, who is contesting his traditional Patiala assembly seat, has declared assets of Rs.45.74 crore.

Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, who is the leader of the opposition in the outgoing assembly, has declared assets of under Rs.3 crore.

Cricketer-turned-politician and Amritsar MP Navjot Singh Sidhu's wife, Navjot Kaur Sidhu contesting from the Amritsar-east assembly constituency on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket has declared assets of Rs.2.38 crore.

Politics a Family Affair in Punjab

In theSAD,CM Parkash Singh Badal's entire family, from his son to daughter-in-law and son-in-law have got tickets.

The Congress frontrunner for Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has a son who has got a ticket, and the party chief Rajinder Kaur Bhattal's son-in-law too is a contestant.

Even in the BJP, the story's no different with cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu's wife getting a ticket.

Several contestants for the 117 seats in the state have political ties judging by the number of relatives of politicians who've got tickets.

It's a phenomenon that cuts across party lines – Congress, BJP and Akali Dal.

The Race to Rule Punjab

The ruling SAD-BJP combine will be battling anti-incumbency in the state, while the Congress will be fighting a central UPA anti-incumbency rub off.This struggle against anti-incumbency of different grades in a way levels the playing field for both the SAD-BJP ruling combine and challenger Congress.

Manpreet Badal's People Party of Punjab (PPP)-led Sanjha Morcha in which the PPP and the Akali Dal (Longowal) joined hands with the CPM and CPI, has promised much to the electorate in its common minimum programme (CMP). The presence of CPM leaders Prakash Karat and Nilotpal Basu, CPI leader AB Bardhan, and Akali Dal (Longowal) leader Surjit Singh Barnala at a recent political rally, has boosted the viability of the new dispensation in popular minds.

It is the promise of a 3rd alternative emerging in the political scenario of Punjab that is of significance to an electorate disenchanted with the two main political fronts in the state - SAD and INC

Congress 2012 Assembly Election Manifesto

Congress has vowed to help Punjab regain its glory as the most developed and prosperous state in the country by rejuvenating its agriculture sector and industries.

Congress promised to establish the rule of law in the state and create employment opportunities for the youth by reviving industries.

Congress in its election manifesto released on Sunday Jan 15,2012, the party says it will give Rs. 15,000 to poor families on the birth of a girl child which will be deposited with insurance companies.The Congress says it will launch a drive to ensure each girl gets primary education.The party is also promising to double the shagun amount to Rs. 31,000 for the marriage of girls belonging to poor families.The Congress party is promising to eradicate female foeticide and infanticide if it comes to power in Punjab.

The manifesto was released in the presence of party General Secretary B K Hariprasad, Secretary Vijay Laxmi Sadho, party's political affairs in-charge Gulchain Singh Charak, state Congress chief Amarinder Singh and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Rajinder Kaur Bhattal.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi reacts as Punjab Congress Chief Capt. Amarinder Singh unsheaths a sword to present to her during an election rally in Ludhiana

77 % Polling in the Punjab Assembly Elections

Elections in the Punjab Assembly Polls recorded a heavy turnout of nearly 77% with SAD-BJP combine locked in a battle with INC to retain power.There are 1078 contestants contesting for 117 seats barring stray incidents the entire polling was peaceful.In Punjab with 1.7crore electorate,polling took place in 1981 polling booths across 22 districts.

Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh

Deputy CM of Punjab and SAD Party President Sukhbir Singh Badal

Manpreet Singh Badal, founder of PPP (People's Party of Punjab)

2012 Punjab Assembly Elections - Projected Results

Election Results - Tuesday March 6,2012

Party	Seats Won	Won in 2007
SAD	56	49
BJP	12	19
INC	46	44
Others	3	5
Total	117	117

SAD-BJP alliance retain power in Punjab created history as this was the first time in four

decades in Punjab that an incumbent was voted back to power.

Parkash Singh Badal, 84, is all set to become chief minister for a record fifth term.

Congress contested all 117 seats, while SAD 94 and BJP 23. In the last election SAD had won 50 seats, Congress 42, BJP 19 and independents 06.

The fate of 1,078 candidates, including 93 women and 417 independents, will be decided in the 52 counting centres across the state.

Nearly 78 per cent of the 17.6 million voters in the state exercised their franchise Jan 30. The voting percentage was an all-time record in assembly polls in the state.

The ruling SAD-BJP alliance has been battling allegations of corruption, farmers' issues and unemployment.On the other hand, Punjab deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was confident about retaining power and Parkash Singh Badal will retain the post of the state's Chief Minister.

A third front, Sanjha Morcha, which was formed recently and is led by former finance minister Manpreet Badal's People's Party of Punjab (PPP), added a new dimension to the state's politics.

This may come as a setback for Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh who had said the 'non-governance and corruption of the ruling state government' have favoured them.

Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP) Alliance Retain Power

SAD-BJP Alliancevictory created history as this was the first time in 4 decades in Punjab that an incumbent was voted back to power The victory is being attributed to Parkash Singh Badal’s mass appeal and the organisational rigour and political management skills of his son, SAD president and deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal.

The SAD-BJP alliance won 68 seats, while Congress won 46 seats. The Others won 3 seats as results were declared for all 117 seats in Punjab Assembly.

1)Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh retained Patiala constituency by defeating SAD's Surjit Singh Kohli by a margin of 42,318 votes.
2)Navjot Kaur, wife of BJP MP from Amritsar Navjot Singh Sidhu, has won from Amritsar (East) constituency, defeating her nearest rival and Independent candidate Simarpreet Kaur by a margin of 7,099 votes.

3)From Balachaur constituency, SAD's Nand Lal beat Shiv Ram Singh of BSP by a margin of 14,857 votes.
4)In Rajpura seat Hardial Singh Kamboj of Congress beat BJP's Raj Khurana by a margin of 31,510 votes.
5)In Faridkot, SAD's Deep Malhotra beat Avtar Singh Brar of the Congress by a margin of 2,727 votes.
6)SAD's Harpreet Kaur beat Madan Lal Jalalpur of Congress by a margin of 1,778 votes from Ghanaur.
7)Sadhu Singh of Congress won from Nabha (SC) constituency defeating his nearest SAD rival by a margin of 22,548 votes.
8) O P Soni of Congress won from Amritsar Central, defeating his nearest rival Tarun Chugh of the BJP by a margin of 12,797 votes.
9)SAD's Nand Lal beat Shiv Ram Singh of BSP by a margin of 14,857 votes from Balachaur assembly constituency
10)Gulzar Singh Ranike of SAD beat Tarsem Singh of the Congress by a margin of 4,983 votes from Attari (SC) seat
11)Maur Assembly segment in Faridkot, Punjab Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon of SAD defeated Mangat Rai Bansal of Congress by a margin of 1,387 votes. PPP President Manpreet Singh Badal finished at number three.
12)Jaitu (SC) seat, Joginder Singh of Congress defeated Gurinder Singh of SAD by 6,342 votes
13)Dakha, Manpreet Singh of SAD defeated Jasbir Singh Khangura of Congress by a margin of 16,338 votes.
14)Harmeet Singh Sandhu retained his Tarn Taran seat defeating Congress' Dharamvir Agnihotri by a margin of 4,621 votes

Slender Margin of Victory in 10 Constituencies
In10 Assembly constituencies, the winning margin was less than 1,000 votes, with the lowest being just 31 Votes(SAD's Avinash Chander defeated his rival Congress' Santokh Singh Chaudhary from Phillaur by a slender margin of 31 votes)
Out of these ten assembly seats, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has won 9 and INC 1.
In Fatehgarh Churian Congress' Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa defeated Punjab Assembly Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon by 639 votes.
Parkash Singh Badal's son-in-law and sitting minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon from Patti, who defeated Congress' Harminder Singh Gill by 59 votes.
The ten 10 constituencies where the victory margin was slender are -
Ferozepur Rural,
Jagraon Reserve,
Nihalsinghwala,
Payal Reserve,
Fatehgarh Churian,
Patti
Shutrana,
Jalandhar cantonment and
Kartarpur.

Parkash Singh Badal Sworn in Punjab Chief Minister

SAD leader Parkash Singh Badal(85) was on Wednesday March 14,2012 sworn in as Chief Minister of Punjab for the record 5th time( 1970-71,1977-1980, 1997-2002 and 2002- 2007 and was Leader of the Opposition in 1972, 1980 and 2002)heading a SAD-BJP government for a 2nd successive term

Sukhbir Singh(son of Parkash Singh Badal)was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister by Governor Shivraj V Patil

Sixteen other Cabinet rank ministers, including four from the BJP, also took oath of office

BJP leaders L.K. Advani and Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister Praful Patel, INLD chief Om Parkash Chautala and JDU chief Sharad Yadav were present on the occasion

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

2012 Punjab Assembly Elections