Parkash Singh Badal takes oath as Punjab chief minister for fifth time

CHANDIGARH: Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday became Punjab's oldest chief minister Wednesday when he was sworn in for a record fifth time at the historic Sikh battlefield of Chappar Chiri in Mohali, 20 km from here.
He took the oath in Punjabi.
Badal -- who had earlier been chief minister in 1969, 1977, 1997 and 2007 -- was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Shivraj Patil in the presence of many top political leaders and thousands of people.
Badal's son and ruling Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal was sworn in as deputy chief minister of Punjab.
Sixteeen other ministers, including a woman minister, Jagir Kaur, were sworn in.
Beating the traditional anti-incumbency factor, the Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine had recently bagged a comfortable majority with 68 seats in the 117-member Punjab assembly.
Amongst those watching the ceremony were senior BJP leader and former deputy prime minister L K Advani, BJP president Nitin Gadkari, Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal as well as union minister Praful Patel.
Besides Badal, four other members of the Badal family are in the new cabinet -- son Sukhbir Badal, son-in-law Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon, Sukhbir's brother-in-law Bikram Singh Majithia and another relative Janmeja Singh Sekhon.
The ministers in the outgoing Badal government (2007-2012) who have retained their places include Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon, Ajit Singh Kohar, Gulzar Singh Ranike, Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Janmeja Singh Sekhon and Surjit Kumar Jyani (BJP).
Seven ministers of the outgoing government had lost in the recent assembly poll.
Senior Akali Dal leaders Sarwan Singh Phillaur, former minister Tota Singh, former Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Jagir Kaur were also inducted as cabinet ministers
New faces in the ministry include Anil Joshi (BJP), Surjit Singh Rakhra, who defeated Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh's son, Raninder Singh and Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, a former MP of Ludhiana.
The Akali Dal has kept 14 ministerial slots with itself while alliance partner BJP has got four berths. The BJP ministers include Bhagat Chunni Lal, Madan Mohan Mittal, Surjit Kumar Jyani and Anil Joshi.
The venue of the oath-taking ceremony has the country's highest tower - Fateh Burj (Victory Tower) - which is dedicated to the memory of the Sikh warrior, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, who established the Sikh state in the country by defeating Mughal forces led by Wazir Khan.
It is for the first time in over four decades that a government has been able to return to power for a consecutive term in Punjab.
Parkash Singh Badal (Punjabi: ਪਰਕਾਸ਼ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਾਦਲ) is an Indian politician who has been Chief Minister of the state of Punjab since 2007.^[1] He previously served as Chief Minister from 1970 to 1971, from 1977 to 1980,from 1997 to 2002, from 2007 to 2012, and from 2012 to present.

Personal life

He was born December 8, 1927 in the village of Abul Khurana, near Malwa (Punjab), to Raghuraj Singh and Sundri Kaur in a Jatt Sikh family. In 1959 he married Surinder Kaur, they have two children, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Parneet Kaur. His wife passed away in 2011.

 Political career

He entered politics in 1947 and was first elected to Punjab Vidhan Sabha in 1957. He was re-elected in 1969 serving as Minister for Community Development, Panchayati Raj, Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries.^[He has served as Punjab Chief Minister for three terms the first time in 1969 when he became the youngest Chief Minister of an Indian state. He was Leader of the Opposition in 1972, 1980 and 2002. He was first detained in the Karnal jail in connection with Civil Liberties Agitation later under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act during the Indian Emergency.He was President of the Akali Dal from 1996 to 2008.
According to the results of the 2012 election, announced on 6 March 2012, his party, SAD, won 68 seats out of 117, together with the BJP. Winning the 2012 assembly election comfortably, he was set to become Chief Minister of Punjab for a record-breaking fifth time; he was also Punjab's oldest chief minister. On 14 March 2012, he was sworn in for another term as Chief Minister by the Governor of Punjab, Shivraj Patil.