Four MLAs join Badal bandwagon

CHANDIGARH: Beleaguered former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal received a shot in the arm when four independent MLAs announced to support his party, Shiromani Akali Dal, in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. In the House of 117 members the strength of the SAD has risen to 45. With the support of three BJP MLAs, the SAD-BJP combine strength becomes 48, which could be a cause of anxiety for Chief Minister Amarinder Singh who has mounted an anti-corruption campaign against Badal.The four independent MLAs are Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Sukhdarshan Singh Harar, Harmeet Singh and Gobind Singh Kanjla. While Kanjla joins the Badal camp after former SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra joined hands with Badal, the other three MLAs had contested the last Vidhan Sabha elections as rebel SAD candidates. Badal later told mediapersons that the SAD-BJP combine had achieved voters' mandate in the state bagging more number of votes than polled to the Congress-CPI combine in the last election. He said technically the Congress may continue to be in power, but people's mandate stood in favour of the SAD-BJP.