Chandigarh: The Congress has set up a historic victory in the elections in Punjab and will come to power in the state after ten years. Captain Amarinder Singh, who celebrated his 75th birthday today, thanked the people of the state for the support and said tackling the drug menace would be his priority. The Congress is poised to get 77 seats in the 117-member Assembly.
Just as the exit polls had predicted, the Akali-BJP tally will be restricted to 18 seats. However, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, deputy CM Sukhbir Badal and outgoing revenue minister Bickram Singh Majithia have all won from their respective seats.
The Aam Aadmi Party, predicted to give the Congress a close contest, has not fared as expected and won 20 seats. In 2012, the SAD-BJP alliance had got 68 seats and the Congress 46 seats.
