Badals make way to Booth No. 106

* Half-an-hour later,Congress candidate Maheshinder Singh Grewal entered the school showing his voter I-card.

* 20 minutes later,at 9.50 am,Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal,Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Badal arrived together.

* At 10.30 am,Gurdas Badal entered the polling booth and with the help of attendants exercised his franchise.

The first family of the state arriving together to cast votes created quite a flutter in the village. “We saw them together in the village after five years,” said a woman.

Manpreet Badal was his usual confident self and didn’t fail to take a dig at the Chief Minister. “I am feeling sad that my taaya ji (Parkash Singh Badal) will be losing the elections and will end his political career in a disgraceful manner,” the PPP chief said.

However,the senior Badal brushed aside his nephew’s remarks. “If Manpreet was so concerned,he should not have left the mother party. In fact,I am feeling excited. It is the same excitement which I had felt when I contested my first election. I am feeling the same after so many years,” he said.

His son and SAD president Sukhbir Badal said,“I am feeling the most confident ever in my political career. I am sure we are going to form the government and show the Opposition that development poll plank works.”

However,there was another Badal,who while being excited about the elections,was feeling sad too.

Manpreet’s father and PPP nominee from Lambi seat Gurdas Badal said,“I am sure Badal sahib will come and congratulate me after results are declared on March 6. We used to be like Ram-Lakshman,but something else was written by destiny.”

Booth No. 106 recorded 75.66 per cent polling,even as some 15 villages in Lambi Assembly constituency witnessed more than 90 per cent voter turnout,returning officer Sandeep Rishi said in the evening.