Akalis On Verge Of Absolute Majority

From Our Special Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, June 15 — In a landslide win, the Akali Dal early this morning secured 58 out of the 115 Punjab Vidhan Sabha seats. The total number of seats is 117. (Election to one seat was not held). Its nominee, Mr. Gurmeet Singh, was leading in the Muktsar constituency over the Congress candidate, Mr. Kanwarjit Singh Brar, son of the Governor of Orissa. There were indications that the Dal would get this seat, and thus secure an absolute majority in the Vidhan Sabha.

Its two other partners in the combine had secured 32 seats – 24 by the Janata Party and eight by the CPI (M). The Congress and the CPI were trailing with only 23 seats between them.

Mr. Prakash Singh Badal, Union Minister for Irrigation and Agriculture, who is staging a come-back to the Punjab politics and is likely to be elected the leader of the Akali Assembly Party at the party’s meeting in Amritsar tomorrow, has already announced that even if the Dal secures an absolute majority it would form a coalition Government with the Janata Party. Mr. Badal won the Gidderbaha seat today with a majority of 14,163 votes in a straight fight.

The Congress has won 16 seats and its electoral ally, CPI, seven. There are in addition two Independents Mr. Chitwant Singh, one of them, today defeated the Janata Party nominee Mr. Brish Bhan, in the Lehara constituency of Sangrur by 2,930 votes. Another Independent, Mr. Manjinder Singh Behla defeated the formidable Akali nominee, Mr. Prem Singh Lalpura, and Mr. Dilbagh Singh Daleke, former Minister of State for Transport in Tarn Taran.

The CPI-M had put up candidates on eight seats and it has won all of them. Dr. Kewal Krishan, Speaker of the Punjab Assembly. Mr. Umrao Singh, former Revenue Minister. Mr. Hans Raj Sharma, former Finance Minister, Mr. Gurdarshan Singh, former P.W.D. Minister, Mr. Bal Ram former Minister for Co-Operation, Mr. Sunder Singh Chaudhry, former General Secretary of the Congress Assembly Party and Mr. Ujaggar Singh, former General Secretary of the State Congress, are among the winners for the Congress Party.

Mr. Iqbal Singh, former Union Deputy Minister, Mr. Gurmail Singh, former Education Minister, Mr. Nasib Singh Gill, former Deputy Speaker of the Assembly and Mr. Joginder Pal Pandey, Miss Sarla Prashar, Mr. Gurbax Singh Sibia, Mr. Balbir Singh and Mr. Sohan Singh Jalalusman, all former Ministers of State, were today humbled.

Also defeated were Mr. Brij Lal Goel, Vice-President of the State Congress. Mrs. Sajida Begum and Mr. Kirpal Singh Dhillon, the two General Secretaries of the State Congress; Mr. Ajit Singh Jhikka, President of the Jullundur Municipal Committee, and Mr. Jagjit Singh son of Master Gurbanta Singh. The latter lost to Dr. Bhagat Singh, former Akali Minister.

Mr. Narinder Singh Raja lost in Nabha to Mr. Gurdarshan Singh, Mr. Surinder Singh Kairon, son of late Mr. Partap Singh Kairon, secured 21,584 votes, as an Independent, in the Naushehra Panuan constituency of Amritsar and lost to the Akali nominee by less than a thousand votes. Mrs. Jaswant Kaur of the Congress Party, secured only 3,484 votes there.

Mr. Tarlochan Singh Riasti, former Akali Minister, who fought as an Independent in Bhatinda, lost his security deposit.