Parkash Singh Badal Death News: Former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal died on Tuesday evening in a private hospital in Mohali. He was 95 years old. Badal, a five-time chief minister, was admitted to the hospital a few days back after complaining of breathlessness. Badal is survived by his son and Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and daughter Preneet Kaur, who is married to former cabinet minister Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon. Badal, the patron of the Akali Dal, was the oldest candidate to contest the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections. However, he had to face defeat from AAP's first time candidate Gurmeet Singh Khudian.

The central government has announced a two-day state mourning on April 26-27 in honor of Parkash Singh Badal. Under this, the flags in all government buildings will be half-tilted. Badal's political journey lasted for 75 years. In 1952, Badal was the youngest sarpanch elected from the village. He became the youngest CM of Punjab in 1970 and then the oldest CM in 2012. He also holds the record of becoming CM five times till 1970-71, 1977-80, 1997-2002, 2007-12 and 2012-17. He was also a Lok Sabha MP and briefly served as Union Agriculture Minister.

In his 75-year political journey, Badal lost the assembly elections only twice. First, in 1967, he lost to Harcharan Singh Brar from Giddarbaha by just 57 votes and then in 2022 to Gurmet Singh Khudian from Lambi. He won the first assembly election before the reorganization of Punjab state in 1957 from Malot on a Congress ticket. He won five consecutive assembly elections from Gidderbaha in 1969, 1972, 1977, 1980 and 1985. Badal did not contest assembly elections twice in his political career – once in 1962 and second time in 1992, because the Akali Dal had boycotted them. Badal was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2015. Which he returned in 2020 in protest against the agricultural laws.