“My chair is in the court of the Election Commission of India,” said Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, when asked if he would step down from the post after his six-month period as deputy chief minister ends on July 20. Without being a legislator, Sukhbir had taken oath as deputy chief minister on January 21.

In Mohali on Thursday, Sukhbir said his holding of the post depends on whether the ECI chooses to hold any bypoll before July 20. 

Interestingly, Sukhbir refused to divulge his preferred Assembly constituency for contesting the bypolls, if any. Four Assembly constituencies in Punjab — Nurmahal, Banur, Jalalabad and Kahnuwan — have been vacated and the bypolls for all, except Nurmahal, are yet to be announced. The SAD has already declared Rajwinder Kaur as its candidate from the Nurmahal constituency.

Accusing former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh of “losing his mental balance” after being defeated in the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat, the SAD president announced a revamp of the Youth Akali Dal. 

“We are looking into the reasons and circumstances leading to our defeat in the eight Lok Sabha seats in Punjab,” said Sukhbir.

Sukhbir had come to appear before the court of Additional-cum-Special Judge J S Kular, undertaking trial in the disproportionate assets case against the Badals, to get back his passport in return of a surety and personal bond of Rs 5 lakh.  The Special Court released Sukhbir’s passport with a direction to deposit it back on his return from Europe, which he is scheduled to visit from June 14 to July 2.