Punjab elections: Did Sukhbir hit jackpot with Narendra Modi model?

CHANDIGARH: A little less than a year ago, Gujarat CM Narendra Modi had attended the bhog ceremony of Surinder Kaur, wife of Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal, and mother of deputy CM Sukhbir Badal. He sat with Sukhbir for a while but nobody knows what he said apart from offering condolences.

Since then, though, many say there has been a perceptible change in the gusto with which he campaigned in the elections, eventually leading his party to victory.If anyone can draw parallels between Sukhbir Badal, the SAD president, and Modi, it is that they are more CEOs of their states than just political leaders. If SAD did not do much in the early part of its reign after coming to power in 2007, Sukhbir made it a point to play the slog overs well.

Playing the development card, he brought in laws like the Right to Service Act, where he cut down on the role of middlemen to get things done from government offices.

Sukhbir even flew down Metro-man E Sreedharan to Ludhiana to announce the Metro coming to the city. Another masterstroke was the kabaddi world cup he started with big prize money. The IPL-like show was a major talking point among the rural youth of Punjab.

Change had, in fact, begun taking place when Sukhbir held the reins in 2002, when the Akali organization was withering. Along with the transformation of the party from an outfit steeped in religion to one touting development and progress, came the transformation of Sukhbir himself from a 'happy-go-lucky to a downright aggressive CEO' .