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Exit polls edge for Cong but Badal village stays upbeat
Parkash Singh Badal spent the day touring villages, listening to hymns. HT reports.
Badal, the native village of Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, was abuzz with activity on the eve of judgment day.
After the polling on January 30, Parkash Singh Badal, his son deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Bathinda MP, had reportedly gone on a holiday.
They returned recently and have been camping at their palatial house in the village in Muktsar district.
Although most exit polls have given the Congress an edge, the Badals did not seem nervous and the mood in the camp was upbeat.
On Monday, the 80-year-old chief minister began his day very early by visiting schools and colleges in the village and interacted with teachers and students. He also met senior citizens at old age homes founded by him.
“CM Badal and his family are in a very happy mood. He also had prasad brought by a SAD worker from Maharashtra’s Hazoor Sahib gurudwara,” said Charanjit Singh Brar, personal assistant of Sukhbir.
Later in the day, the senior Badal along with Sukhbir went to Sarai Nagar village to attend the cremation of Kanwarjit Singh Sunny Brar, sitting Congress MLA from Muktsar, who passed away in Delhi on Sunday.
The Badals had organised a Shej Path — a reading of the Guru Granth Sahib — at their residence in the evening.
Family rebel and chief of the People’s Party of Punjab Manpreet Singh Badal also moved to Badal village after meeting party workers in Bathinda.
“The people have decided and the result will come tomorrow (Tuesday). We are confident that the result will be in our favour,” Manpreet said.
Sukhbir’s second cousin Mahesh Inder Singh Badal, the Congress candidate from the Lambi constituency, is also expected to arrive in Badal village before the counting begins on Tuesday.
