Both the militant Akali factions - Akali Dal (Amritsar) and Akali Dal (Panthic) as well as the Bahujan Samaj Party, which had also entered the fray, may have been nearly routed. Officially, the results will be declared on Saturday. The SGPC elections have been held after a gap of 17 years.
In the last SGPC elections, held in 1979, the Akali Dal had won 132 out of the total 140 seats. Badal was the then Chief Minister of Punjab. SGPC is known as a parliament of the Sikhs.
Simranjit Singh Mann, the controversial IPS officer-turned politician and president of the Akali Dal (Amritsar) is the only noted winner, representing the rebels in the SGPC election. Sukhjinder Singh, former Punjab education minister and seasoned Akali leader, who joined the rebels on the eve of the SGPC elections to challenge Badal, has lost.
