Septuagenerian Parkash Singh Badal, who led the Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party combine to victory in the Punjab assembly polls by wresting power from the Congress, is set for his fourth term as chief minister.

The going for Badal, however, may not be smooth as the Akalis will be dependent on the BJP for the survival of the government, unlike the comfortable position they enjoyed in the past.

Moreover, the victory margin of 79-year-old Badal, who comes from a family of farmers of Badal village in Muktsar district, has seen a sharp decline this time.

Against his victory margin of 23,929 votes over his cousin Mahesh Inder Singh Badal in 2002, he won this time by a margin of only 9,187 votes against the same rival.

The Akalis bagged 48 seats while the BJP won 19, giving them a total of 67 seats in the 117-member assembly.

The BJP has made its richest haul this time, winning 19 seats and proving wrong all those who had written off the party.

The party will be in a commanding position to keep the Akali stalwart in check and also have a say in governance.

Badal, born on December 8, 1927, was chief minister for 15 months in 1970-71 and for 32 months in 1977-1980 without any alliance with the BJP or its earlier avatars.

His third tenure as chief minister from 1997 - the first time he completed a full five-year term - was in alliance with the BJP.

A graduate from the Christian College in Lahore, Badal entered politics by joining the Shiromani Akali Dal in 1947. He was first elected sarpanch of his village panchayat and later chairman of the block samiti.

In 1957, he was elected to the Punjab assembly from Malout constituency under the Congress banner as the SAD had then entered into an agreement with that party to contest the elections on Congress tickets.

Badal was re-elected from Gidderbaha assembly constituency on a SAD nomination during the 1969 mid-term polls and made the minister for panchayati raj, animal husbandry and dairying.

He romped home in the 1997 polls by a margin of 28,728 votes. He had then also secured a huge majority of 75 seats for his party and the BJP won 18 seats, giving the alliance a total of 93 seats.

The Akalis, under the leadership of Badal, could have won more seats this time in Sangrur, Bhatinda and Patiala districts but for the diktat of the Haryana-based religious group Dera Sachha Sauda, which asked its followers to vote for the Congress.

Outgoing Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has made it clear that his Congress party intends to play the role of opposition to keep the SAD-BJP alliance in check on various issues.

The Congress has won 44 seats, which it help it play the role of a demanding opposition.