Punjab election results: Congress ends 10-year hiatus, returns to power with absolute majority

The Congress today made a resounding comeback in Punjab after a gap of a decade, getting an absolute majority in the 117-member Assembly. 

Riding on the anti-incumbency wave, the Congress under the leadership of Captain Amarinder Singh today decimated the SAD-BJP alliance by winning 77 seats in the 117-member House.

With the ruling party faced a humiliating defeat and was reduced to a paltry 18, Chief Minister and Akali patriarch Parkash Singh Badal said he would be submitting his resignation to the Governor on Sunday. The debutant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was eyeing to wrest power, bagged 20 seats and has emerged as the Opposition in the border state.

Among key candidates, Congress party's chief ministerial candidate Amarinder Singh won the Patiala seat with a huge margin of 52,407 votes beating his nearest rival AAP candidate Balbir Singh. SAD candidate and former Army Chief JJ Singh finished third by securing 11,677 votes. 

However, he lost the second seat he contested to Chief minister Badal who won from his traditional Lambi seat by 22,770 votes. Badal, the SAD candidate, polled 66,375 votes while Singh secured 43,605 votes. The Chief Minister congratulated Congress President Amarinder Singh on his win and assured him of full support. 

"SAD will discuss the reasons for the defeat of the party in the assembly elections," he said. 

A beaming Amarinder Singh thanked the people of the state for their overwhelming support. 

"People voted out Akalis, who destroyed Punjab and rejected the AAP, who came more like a summer storm," Singh said. 

"Committed to good governance, tackling drug menace, besides health and education will be priority," Singh said. 

Navjot Singh Sidhu with his wife Navjot Kaur in Amritsar

In the 2012 assembly elections, the SAD had won 56 seats and its ally BJP 12 seats. Congress had won 46 and the remaining three seats had gone to Independents.

Among the major winners, Congress candidate and former Indian hockey captain Pargat Singh retained his Jalandhar Cantt seat by defeating Akali candidate Sarabjit Singh Makkar by 29,124 votes. 

Pargat, an Olympian, polled 59,349 votes while SAD candidate got 30,225 votes. AAP candidate Harkrishan Singh Walia got 25,912 votes. Pargat had won the 2012 assembly polls on a SAD ticket. Last year, Pargat switched over to Congress after he raised a banner of revolt against the Akali Dal.

Other prominent winners and losers:

Winners:

Amarinder Singh (Congress, Patiala Urban)
Parkash Singh Badal (Shiromani Akali Dal, Lambi)
Sukhbir Singh Badal (SAD, Jalalabad)
Navjot Singh Sidhu (Congress, Amritsar East)
Harvinder Singh Phoolka (AAP, Dakha)
Manpreet Badal (Congress, Bathinda)
Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, (Congress, Gidderbaha)
Pargat Singh (Congress, Jalandhar Cantt)
Sukhpal Singh Khaira (Aam Aadmi Party, Bholath)

Losers:

Bhagwant Mann (AAP, Jalalabad)
Ravneet Singh Bittu (Congress, Jalalabad)
Sunil Jakhar (Congress, Abohar)
Rajinder Kaur Bhattal (Congress, Lehra)
Amarinder Singh (Congress, Lambi)
Kewal Dhillon, Industrialist (Congress, Barnala)
Adarsh Pratap Singh Kairon (SAD, Patti)
Tota Singh, (SAD, Dharamkot)
Gen. J.J. Singh (retd) (SAD, Patiala)

The term of the present Assembly expires on March 18, 2017.

Live Updates: 

* SAD's Sukhbir Badal wins Jalalabad seat

* Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to Congress leader Amarinder Singh to congratulate him on electoral victory in Punjab.

* Parkash Singh Badal defeated his nearest rival Congress candidate Captain Amarinder Singh by 22,770 votes from Lambi.

* Captain Amrinder Singh wins from Patiala urban seat by a margin of over 51000 votes

* Punjab: CM Badal leading by 10,672 votes in his pocket borough Lambi constituency. 

* Congress candidate Kanwarpal Singh won Anandpur Sahib seat by defeating his nearest BJP rival Parminder Sharma with a margin of 23,881 votes. The seat was earlier held by cabinet minister Madan Mohan 

* Navjot Singh Sidhu leading over AAP candidate by a margin of 2,691 votes Amritsar-East seat

* Congress leader Sunil Jakhar trailing by 1,487 votes as against his nearest rival BJP's Arun Narang from Abohar seat

* Punjab: Capt Amarinder Singh leading from Patiala seat

* Jalalabad: AAP's Bhagwant Mann maintains lead over Sukhbir Singh Badal

* Punjab: AAP's Gurpreet Singh Ghughi leading from Batala 

* Jalalabad: Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal now leading over nearest rival Ravneet Singh Bittu of Congress by a margin of 2144 votes

* AAP ahead in Bathinda Urban, Mansa, Bhadaur (R) and Mehal Kalan (R) seats. 

* From Gidderbaha, All-India Youth Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring leading. 

* From Majitha seat, SAD's Bikram Singh Majithia leading. 

* Congress' Manpreet Badal trailing AAP candidate Deepak Bansal from Bathinda Urban as per initial trends.

* Punjab Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal trailing from Jalalabad seat 

* Congress leading in 33 seats, AAP in 15 and SAD+ in 14

* Navjot Singh Sidhu of Congress leading in Amritsar East

* Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal leading in Lambi assembly constituency. The 89-year-old is locked in a triangular contest with Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh and journalist-turned-politician Jarnail Singh of the AAP in his pocket borough of Lambi. 

* Congress leading 20 seats, AAP in 14, SAD in 4 

* Congress leading in 18 seats, SAD+ in, AAP in 10

* Congress leads in early trends. (Cong - 10, SAD+ - 4, AAP - 4) 

* Counting has begun in all the 54 centres at 27 locations in Punjab