Apparently rattled by the results of the Lok Sabha polls, Punjab’s ruling Shiromani Akali Dal has constituted a three-member committee to analyse the reduction in its vote share, the >success of the Aam Admi Party and the defeat of BJP leader >Arun Jaitley in Amritsar . The party’s leadership is also concerned about its role in the next NDA government led by Narendra Modi.
The Akali Dal’s Core Committee met on Saturday, where its leaders expressed concern about the poll results. The meeting was presided over by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who asked three former Ministers Tota Singh, Sewa Singh Sekhwan and Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal to analyse the results “in the light of both previous history and trends throughout the country”.
The SAD, the oldest and steadiest constituent of the NDA, managed to retain only its 2009 tally of four seats after fielding candidates in 10 of the 13 seats in the State. Its vote share plummeted from 33.85 per cent to 26.30 per cent.
The defeat has set off fears about SAD’s future role in the NDA.
The BJP, on the other hand, won the other two seats it contested in alliance with the Akali Dal and improved its vote share. While BJP Minister Anil Joshi, an MLA from one of the constituencies in Amritsar, has already resigned, the same is being expected of Akali Minister Bikram Singh Majithia.
