Panth Rattan Shiri Gurcharan Singh Tohra was a president of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), a Sikh body in charge of controlling Gurdwara. He died of a heart attack in New Delhi on 1 April 2004 at the age of 79. He remained the head of the SGPC for a record 27 years, and was one of the most influential and controversial Sikh leaders of the 20th century.
Giani Zail Singh was an Indian politician from Punjab who served as the seventh president of India from 1982 to 1987 and 9th Chief Minister of Punjab. He was the first Sikh to become president.
Devi Lal, also known as Chaudhary Devi Lal, was an Indian statesman and politician who served as 6th Deputy Prime Minister of India from 1989 to 1990 and from 1990 to 1991. Lal emerged as farmer leader from the state of Haryana, and served as the Chief Minister of Haryana from 1977 to 1979 and then from 1987 to 1989. He was the founder of Indian National Lok Dal. He was popularly known as Tau, meaning uncle.
Kairon, is a small historical Indian village of the historical places like Gurudwara Jhar Sahib. this village in the district of Tarn-Taran, located in the north-west of Punjab. The village is home to a majority of Dhillon Jatt Sikhs.
Although India is a parliamentary democracy, the country's politics has become dynastic or with high level of nepotism, possibly due to the absence of party organizations, independent civil-society associations which mobilize support for a party, or centralized financing of elections. The dynastic phenomenon is present at the national, state, regional, and district level. The Nehru–Gandhi family has produced three Indian prime ministers, and family members have largely led the Congress party since 1978. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also has several dynastic leaders. In addition to the major national parties, other national and regional parties such as Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Shiromani Akali Dal, Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal Secular, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Kerala Congress, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, Indian Union Muslim League, AIMIM, and the Nationalist Congress Party are all dominated by families, mostly those of the party founders.
Partap Singh Kairon was the 3rd Chief Minister of the Punjab province, and is widely acknowledged as the architect of post-Independence Punjab Province. Moreover, he was an Indian independence movement leader. He was jailed twice by the British Empire, once for five years for organizing protests against British rule. His political influence and views are still considered to dominate politics in Punjab.
Gurnam Singh was an Indian politician and the 6th Chief Minister of Punjab from 8 March 1967 to 25 November 1967, and again between 17 February 1969 to 27 March 1970. He was the first Shiromani Akali Dal Chief minister of Punjab. His ministry fell due to defection of Lachhman Singh Gill, who became the next Chief Minister with the support of the Indian National Congress. He died in an air crash in Delhi on 31 May 1973.
Bhim Sen Sachar was an Indian politician who served three times as the Chief Minister of Punjab.
Surinder Singh Kairon was an Indian politician from Punjab. He was a member of Indian National Congress and represented Taran Taran in 10th Lok Sabha. He was son of ex-chief minister of Punjab, Partap Singh Kairon. He was a member of Punjab Vidhan Sabha before being elected to the Lok Sabha. His son Adesh Partap Singh Kairon is married to Parkash Singh Badal's daughter Preneet Kaur. Surinder Kairon died after suffering a massive cardiac arrest in Amritsar on 16 March 2009.
Sardar Gian Singh Rarewala was an Indian politician and the first Chief Minister of the former Indian state of Patiala and East Punjab States Union.
Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa is an Indian politician and a member of Indian National Congress. He is a Member of Punjab Legislative Assembly (MLA) and represents Fatehgarh Churian. He heads the Ministries of Rural Development Now Animal Husbandry Panchayats and Water Supply & Sanitation for the Government of Punjab.
Parkash Singh Badal was an Indian politician and Sikh rights advocate who served as the 8th Chief Minister of Punjab from 1970 to 1971, from 1977 to 1980, from 1997 to 2002, and from 2007 to 2017, the longest serving Chief Minister of Punjab till date. He was also Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Legislative Assembly from 1972 to 1977, 1980 to 1983 and from 2002 to 2007 and the 11th Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare in the Morarji Desai ministry from 1977 to 1977. He was the patron of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), a Sikh-centered regional political party, and the president of the party from 1995 to 2008, when he was replaced by his son Sukhbir Singh Badal. As the patron of SAD he exercised a strong influence on the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.
Elections to the Punjab Provincial Assembly were held in January 1946 as part of the 1946 Indian provincial elections.
The Interim East Punjab Assembly was a unicameral governing and law making body of the newly formed Indian state of East Punjab.
The 1952 Punjab Legislative Assembly election were the First Vidhan Sabha elections of the state when the Indian National Congress emerged as the largest party with 96 seats in the 126-seat legislature in the election. The Shiromani Akali Dal became the official opposition, holding 13 seats.
The 1957 Punjab Legislative Assembly election was the Second Vidhan Sabha election of the state when the Indian National Congress emerged as the largest party with 120 seats in the 154-seat legislature in the election. The Bharatiya Jana Sangh became the official opposition, holding 9 seats.
The 1962 Punjab Legislative Assembly election was the Third Vidhan Sabha election of the state when the Indian National Congress emerged as the largest party with 90 seats in the 154-seat legislature in the election. The Shiromani Akali Dal became the official opposition, holding 16 seats. From 5 July 1966 to 1 November 1966, Assembly was under suspension.
The 1967 Punjab Legislative Assembly election was the Fourth Vidhan Sabha election of the state. This was the first hung assembly. Indian National Congress emerged as the largest party with 48 seats in the 104-seat legislature in the election. The Akali Dal - Sant Fateh Singh became the second, holding 24 seats. On 28 August 1968, Assembly dissolved prematurely and president rule was imposed.
The 1969 Punjab Legislative Assembly election was the fifth Vidhan Sabha election of the state. This was the second hung assembly. Shiromani Akali Dal emerged as the largest party with 43 seats in the 104-seat legislature in the election. The Indian National Congress became the second, holding 38 seats. On 13 June 1971, Assembly dissolved prematurely and president rule was imposed.
United Front was a Post Poll Alliance formed after the 1969 Punjab Legislative Assembly election by Akali Dal, Jan Sangh and Left Parties as no single party got absolute majority in Assembly.
