Shiromani Akali Dal chief Parkash Singh Badal, who led the SAD-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance to a stupendous victory in the Punjab Assembly polls, on Wednesday met State Governor S F Rodrigues in Chandigarh and staked claim to form the government.
Badal called on the governor at Raj Bhavan on Wednesday evening and handed over a letter of support signed by 67 legislators of SAD-BJP combine and three independent MLAs, who announced support to him in Chandigarh earlier in the day.
The former chief minister, in the letter, urged the governor to invite him to form the government in Punjab, SAD secretary Daljeet Singh Cheema said.
He had earlier in the day announced that he would take oath as chief minister on Friday.
Seventy-nine-year-old Badal also handed over a letter to the governor written by senior leaders of the two parties stating that he has been elected as the leader of the legislature groups of SAD and BJP.
The joint letter was signed by BJP's central observers M Venkaiah Naidu, Thawar Chand Gehlot, Arun Jaitley and the saffron party's state unit chief Avinash Rai Khanna and also by SAD's senior leaders Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Kanwaljit Singh and Sukhbir Singh Badal.
The three Independent MLAs, who supported Badal, were Iqbal Singh Jhoonda (Dhuri), Madan Lal Thekedar (Ghanaur) and Charanjit Singh Channi (Chamkaur Sahab).
Another Independent MLA Sangat Singh could not give his letter as he arrived in Chandigarh late, Cheema added.