After poll drubbing, Amarinder Singh takes sharp swipe at Navjot Sidhu

Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh on Thursday fired a fresh salvo on cabinet colleague Navjot Singh Sidhu saying Indians especially servicemen will not tolerate hugging the Pakistani Army Chief. This came after the BJP riding on a massive Modi wave sweeping through most parts of India, the BJP was set to return to power as it led in 292 seats while the Congress trailed far behind with 50, according to trends released by the Election Commission for all 542 seats that went to polls. 

The statement comes two days after senior Congress leader Lal Singh had said that Sidhu would be held responsible in case the party lost out any of the 13 seats.

If the trends stay until final results, the BJP would have improved on its 2014 performance when it had won 282 seats on its own in the 543-member Lok Sabha. Adding the seats won by its allies, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance could win 343 seats, up from 336 in 2014.

Markets cheered the trends, as the benchmark BSE Sensex touched 40,000 for the first time and NSE Nifty breached the 12,000 level. The rupee appreciated 14 paise to 69.51 against the US dollar trade.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi—Many Congratulations for securing such a big victory for the BJP. I am thankful to the people,” External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted.