Parkash Singh Badal Dies: All About Five-time Punjab CM’s 75-year Political Journey

Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch and former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Tuesday passed away in at a private hospital in Mohali. He was 95 years old.

Badal was admitted in the ICU a few days ago with a chest infection, as he was suffering from breathing difficulties.

In a medical bulletin issued on Saturday, the private hospital said, “In view of the criticality of Parkash Singh Badal’s health, he continues to be closely monitored in the medical ICU.” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah have enquired about his health and prayed for his speedy recovery.

Who was Parkash Singh Badal?

➡️Badal has been the chief minister of Punjab for five terms, from 1970-71, 1977-80, 1997-2002, 2007-12 and 2012-17.

➡️Badal became the youngest CM of Punjab in 1970 and then the oldest CM in 2012.

➡️He has also been the president of SAD from 1998 to 2008, after which Sukhbir Singh Badal replaced him.

➡️Badal has also been awarded the Padma Vibhushan award, the second-highest civilian award in the country in 2015.

➡️He was born in Abul Khurana and started his political career in 1947, when he was the Sarpanch of Village Badal. He was the youngest sarpanch when he got elected

➡️In 1957, he was elected into the Punjab Vidhan Sabha from the SAD party.

➡️He has been elected in the Punjab assembly for ten times.

➡️In his over 75-year political journey, Badal lost just two Assembly elections. First, to Harcharan Singh Brar from Gidderbaha in 1967 by just 57 votes and thereafter in 2022 to Gurmet Singh Khudian from Lambi in a constituency that he had nurtured.

➡️In June last year, Badal was hospitalised following a complaint of gastritis and bronchial asthma.

➡️In February last year, he was taken to a private hospital in Mohali for a post-Covid health check-up during which he had undergone cardiac and pulmonary check-ups too.

With Swati Bhan

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