Polls 2007, he declares, is crucial for him. And for the Punjab polity.

Parkash Singh Badal, the man who has been at the centrestage of state politics for six decades now, is keenly looking forward to the outcome of the polls that even the rain gods couldn’t wash away. “This election is crucial, for it will pave the way for a new political landscape that will set the mood for progress and harmony in Punjab,” says Badal, as he makes a brief halt at Badal village.

It’s been a long, wet day but the Big B of Punjab politics, who was a trifle unwell yesterday, oozes quiet confidence. “I have toured all the constituencies of Punjab and we are poised for a comeback,” he declares, as the polling draws to an end.

These polls are just another milestone in the long political journey of this man who bagged an Assembly seat by sheer chance when his uncle Teja Singh took him to the then revenue minister and urged him to appoint Badal, who became a sarpanch in 1947, as a naib tehsildar. Impressed with the young man, the minister decided to field him in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections in 1957, exactly 50 years ago.

“That was long ago,” says Badal, allowing himself a smile. The slogan ‘service, not politics’ , he says, reflects his long struggle for the state in various jails of India. “Each time, I embraced the right cause,” he wags a finger as party workers mill around him.

... contd.