Punjab results: End of the road for Captain Amarinder Singh?

Speculation was ripe in Punjab’s political circles that there will be an end of the road for Captain Amarinder Singh, curtains will fall on his long public life.

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Mar 11, 2022 07:50
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Punjab results: End of the road for Captain Amarinder Singh?

Chandigarh: The illustrious career of Captain Amarinder Singh, popularly called ‘King of Patiala’ comes to an end with his shocking defeat in Patiala Urban constituency with a margin of 20,000 votes to Aam Aadmi Party candidate Ajit Pal Singh.

Born on March 11, 1942, in Patiala city, erstwhile Patiala state of British India to a royal family. His father Maharaja Sir Yadavindra Singh and Maharani Mahinder Kaur. His family belongs to the Phulkian dynasty. A close of friend of Rajiv Gandhi, Mr. Amarinder entered politics on request of Rajiv Gandhi. Unfortunately, he was unceremoniously removed from the CM post by Gandhi's siblings in September 2021.

Captain was the most celebrated chief minister at one point, having occupied Punjab’s top post for 9.5 years cumulatively, second only to Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD) veteran leader Parkash Singh Badal (15 years) since the assassination of former CM and Congress leader Beant Singh in 1995.  

Three before his birthday, Captain Amarinder Singh threw a birthday party at his Siswan farmhouse Tuesday. The former Punjab chief minister — whose newly formed party Punjab Lok Congress has allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) this assembly election — showed no signs of worry about the results as he regaled his friends, singing one of Jagjit Singh’s ghazals, “Baat niklegi to phir door talak jayegi”.

Sharing glimpses of the party, Amarinder’s close aide Pritpal Singh Baliawal tweeted a cryptic message: “Who were they who attended the party at Siswan? Any guesses (about) Congress and AAP? Be ready for the Shock! March 11 day of….” 

Speculation was ripe in Punjab’s political circles that there will be an end of the road for Captain Amarinder Singh, curtains will fall on his long public life.

Amarinder was “forced” to resign by the party high command in September 2021, after months of internal strife leading to a vertical split in the Punjab unit, with one camp of ministers and MLAs backing Amarinder and the other, state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.