10 Punjab Ministers lose assembly polls

NEW DELHI: At least 10 sitting Ministers in the outgoing Akali Dal-BJP Punjab government lost their seats in the assembly elections. Among the losers were Adarsh Pratap Singh Kairon, the son-in-law of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as well as Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Surjit Kumar Jyani and Anil Joshi. Two BJP ministers, Chunni Lal Bhagat and Madan Mohan Mittal did not contest this time. While Bhagat's son lost this time, the BJP candidate constesting in place of Mittal also lost. The Akali Dal ministers who lost included Kairon, Gulzar Singh Ranike, Sohan Singh Thandal, Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Tota Singh, Sikander Singh Maluka, Surjit Singh Rakhra and Daljit Singh Cheema. The Punjab cabinet comprised of 18 ministers, including Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. The Akali Dal-BJP alliance, which managed to get only 17 seats in the assembly, was relegated to the third spot behind the winner Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The Akali Dal will not even get the status of the main opposition party in the new assembly.