Cong will try to 'rig' May 19 election in Punjab: Badal

Former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal Friday cautioned the EC to take necessary steps to ensure free and fair polling in the state on May 19, claiming the Congress would try to "rig" the election with the help of government machinery and the muscle power at its disposal.

He exuded confidence that the SAD-BJP alliance would win all the 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state with a huge margin. "Election results in Punjab would be shocking for the Congress. The Akali-BJP alliance would win hands down in the May 19 polls in the state," Badal claimed.

Showering praises on Narendra Modi, the Akali patriarch said he will become the country's Prime Minister once again. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the SAD-BJP had won six seats, the AAP won four and the Congress secured three seats.