Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday offered his resignation after owning moral responsibility for the party’s defeat in the Assembly elections.

The SAD said Badal offered his resignation in a meeting with party’s district presidents but the latter rejected this offer . The SAD won just three seats in the 117-member Punjab Assembly.

“The SAD president, who interacted with district presidents yesterday and today besides the senior leadership, said the party and its well being are supreme for me. I have always acted in the best interests of the party. I own moral responsibility for the party’s defeat and am ready to step down,” an official spokesperson of the party said.

“The party leadership however shot down his offer in unison with many district presidents bringing the hard work and intensive election campaign led by Sukhbir Singh Badal on record. A formal resolution was also passed unanimously to express complete confidence in the leadership of Badal,” he added.

The spokesperson quoted SAD leaders saying Badal led from the front in the recent Assembly polls and also inspired the party leadership as well as the party cadre to give its best.

“The leaders said though the results were not as per expectations, the party president could not be faulted in any manner whatsoever. People voted overwhelmingly for change and the entire Opposition was swept aside in the resultant tsunami,” the spokesperson said.

Giving their feedback at the meetings, the SAD grass root leaders said “at many places the voters did not even know the name of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate but voted for AAP while adopting the narrative of ‘badlav’. This cost the SAD dearly”.

Asserting that all was not lost, party leaders said the SAD has the ability to rise like a phoenix from the ashes and Badal would play a lead role in this, the spokesperson said.

“The previous SAD governments have created benchmarks for development, infrastructure development and introduction of unique social welfare schemes which are ingrained in the minds of the people. The people even wanted to reward the SAD on the basis of its past track record, especially after the non-performance of the Congress government, but were swayed by the voice of change at the last minute,” the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Badal briefed the district presidents that the party would not only take detailed feedback on the election debacle from them and other party functionaries but also people from all walks of life.