By Kaleem Ullah Fasihi
Five times Punjab Chief Minster and senior Shrimoni Akali Dal (SAD) leader, Prakash Singh Badal would be the oldest person in India to contest any election in the country as the leader files his nomination paper from his bastion Lambi.
Badal at 94 will contest from his home seat in upcoming assembly elections.
Earlier, former Chief Minister of Kerala VS Achuthanandan was the oldest person ever to contest assembly election in 2016 at the age of 92.
Badal who is still active in politics, had become the youngest Sarpanch of his village, Badal in 1947 at the age of 20.
In 1957, Badal was elected to Punjab assembly for the first time from SAD.
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In 1970, he became the youngest chief minister of Punjab at 43 and later also became the oldest CM of the state.
Badal also ran his party SAD as president for 13 years from 1995 when he was first appointed as the president of SAD to 2008.
He held the position of Punjab CM five times from 1970-71, 1977-80, 1997-2002, 2007-12 and 2012-2017 when his party was defeated by the ruling Congress.
In 2017 state election, Congress had emerged the largest party with 77 seats out of total 117 seats and ousted the SAD-BJP government after ten years.
Aam Aadmi Party was the second largest party with 20 seats and SAD could only manage to win 17 seats.
Punjab is going cast vote on February 20 as the tenure of current assembly is nearing it end. Aam Aadmi Party and ruling Congress is seemingly going to have neck to neck competition according to the different surveys conducted earlier this month. BJP and SAD will contest together to take helm back.
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