Ludhiana Even as the elections are still a year away, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has already swung into poll mode. Besides, announcing five Vidhan Sabha candidates in the state, the party has launched a publicity campaign in Ludhiana through hoardings and billboards, but the face of party’s patriarch Parkash Singh Badal is conspicuously missing.
The billboards, however, carry pictures of almost all top leaders, including party president Sukhbir Singh Badal, Bikram Singh Majithia, YAD president Parambans Singh Romana and Sharanjit Singh Dhillon.
Party’s district president Ranjit Singh Dhillon distanced himself from the faux pas. “First the hoardings were installed by the Youth Akali Dal and not by SAD. I strongly believe that it (missing Senior Badal) was unintentional. Parkash Singh Badal is and will always remain the face of the party,” he said.
In the hoardings, some YAD leaders have been congratulated for being appointed office-bearers.
District (urban) president Gurdeep Singh Gosha said, “Parkash Singh Badal has spent his entire life in the service of the people of Punjab. He is inseparable from the party. It is an inadvertent mistake at printer’s end. In a day or two, new hoardings will be installed.”