Former five-time Chief Minister of Punjab and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, 95, passed away at the Fortis Hospital, Mohali. The news was confirmed by Jangvir Singh, media advisor of the party.
He was admitted to the hospital seven days ago, and remained in the intensive care unit (ICU) on the second consecutive day till Saturday.
Parkash Singh Badal was born on December 18, 1927 in Muktsar. He was elected as the village sarpanch at the age of 20. Afterwards, he was elected as an MLA for the first time in 1957 for Congress. He became the chief minister of Punjab for the first time in 1970 at the age of 43.
“Parkash Singh Badal, Former Chief Minister of Punjab, was admitted at Fortis Hospital Mohali on April 16, with acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma. He was shifted to the medical ICU on April 18 as his respiratory condition worsened”, the medical bulletin from Fortis Hospital said. “He had been on NIV and HFNC support along with medical management. He was being managed under Prof (Dr) Digambar Behera along with the Pulmonology and critical care team supported by Cardiology. Despite appropriate medical management S Parkash Singh Badal succumbed to his illness. Fortis Hospital Mohali deeply condoles the death of Parkash Singh Badal”, the medical bulletin read.
Badal became the Akali Dal president in 1995, he joined forces with the Bhartiya Janata Party to form a pre-poll alliance which had won the assembly polls in 1997. After that, he again became CM of Punjab from 2007 to 2017 before losing before to the Congress. In 2008, Badal handed over the control of the party to his son Sukhbir Singh Badal.
He has been a strong critic of Narendra Modi and his government, he was against the now repealed three farm laws, he had also returned the Padma Vibhushan award in 2020. In the 2022 polls, he lost from his native Lambi to AAP candidate Gurmeet Singh Khuddian with a margin of 11,000 votes.
As far as his Political career is concerned, Parkash Singh Badal contested 13 state assembly elections and won 11 of them. Moreover, between 1969 to 2017 he won ten polls back to back.
Parkash Singh Badal has been both the youngest and oldest Chief Minister of Punjab.
