Badal thanks voters, vows to carry forward devt agenda

The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which in alliance with the BJP notched up a historic win in the Punjab Assembly election, today thanked the people for reimposing their faith in the combine.

The election results were an endorsement of pro-poor, pro-people and development-oriented policies of the SAD-BJP government, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Deputy Sukhbir Singh Badal said.

Promising to carry forward the development agenda, the two leaders, in a statement, said the combine was committed to fulfil all the promises made to the people in the election manifesto.

"This fresh pro-development attitude of the electorate was a positive signal for Punjab," SAD patriach Badal and party chief Sukhbir said.

They alleged the state was ignored during the five-year rule of the Congress from 2002-2007.

Reiterating their commitment to carry forward the development agenda, they said their first task was to make Punjab power surplus.

Ensuring a minimum 8-hour power supply to the farm sector and completion of the unfinished task of reforms were their top priorities, the two leaders said.

Seeking cooperation of the people, they said "we have to work collectively to make Punjab the number one state in the country."

The SAD-BJP alliance stormed back to power for a second straight term in Punjab, breaking a 46-year-old jinx.

Bucking the anti-incumbency trend, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) bagged 56 seats and its alliance partner BJP 12 in the 117-member House.