SAD reposes faith in Sukhbir Badal's leadership

Chandigarh, March 14

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) core committee today reposed faith in the leadership of president Sukhbir Singh Badal at its first meeting after the party’s poor show in the Assembly polls.

The committee passed a resolution that the party could not have run a better campaign than the one planned and executed by Sukhbir. Party patriarch Parkash Singh Badal chaired the meeting after a long gap today.

He along with his son had lost the elections from their traditional seats of Lambi and Jalalabad, respectively. Only three of the 94 candidates fielded by the party could win their seats.

Sources said a resolution was moved soon after the meeting started. Sukhbir did not offer to resign as was being speculated. Various members opined such a heavy loss in the election was unexpected. They agreed the party seemed to have lost in the face of a wave for change in favour of the Aam Aadmi Party. The members said the results had come as a surprise as ground reports by the party indicated otherwise.

Addressing mediapersons after the three-hour meeting, party spokesperson Dr Daljeet Singh Cheema said the SAD core committee unanimously expressed “full faith and pride in the firm and far-sighted leadership of party president Sukhbir Singh Badal”.

“The core committee is especially proud of the brave, selfless and tireless manner in which the president led the party from the front in true Panthic traditions during the six-month-long campaign,” said a resolution passed at the meeting.