Parkash Singh Badal no more. 5 things to know about 5-time Punjab CM

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch and five-time former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal passed away at the age of 95 on Tuesday.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch and five-time former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal passed away at the age of 95 on Tuesday, confirmed Jangvir Singh, media advisor of the party. Badal was admitted to a private hospital in Mohali seven days ago and was moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on Friday.

Here's all we know about Parkash Singh Badal's journey:

1. Parkash Singh Badal was born on December 8, 1927, in Punjab's Abul Khurana near Malout. He belonged to a Jat Sikh family. In 1947, he was elected as a sarpanch of the village at the age of 20 - after attaining a BA degree from Forman Christian College, Lahore. In 1957, Parkash Singh Badal was elected as an MLA for the first time from the Malout seat which he contested on Congress party ticket.
2. Parkash Singh Badal has served as the chief minister of Punjab for five terms - first term from March 27, 1970 to June 14, 1971, second term from June 20, 1977 to February 17, 1980, third term from February 12, 1997 to February 26, 2002, fourth and fifth consecutive terms from March 2, 2007 to March 16, 2017.
3. Badal served as the leader of the opposition in Punjab assembly from October 2, 1972 to April 30, 1977. He also held the position of union minister for agriculture and irrigation during the Morarji Desai government.
4. He is also the patron of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) - a Sikh-centered regional political party. He served as the president of the party from 1995 to 2008. Later, he handed over the reins of the party to his son Sukhbir Singh Badal. As a patron of the SAD, he exercised a strong influence on the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.
5. In 2015, the government of India awarded Parkash Singh Badal the second-highest civilian award - Padma Vibhushan.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch and five-time former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal (HT file photo)