Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday expressed confidence in the victory of the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections in the state.

Singh said that voting in Punjab, where polling is being held in the seventh and last phase of the elections, has been peaceful so far.

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“By and large, elections have been peaceful in the state. An incident of a murder was reported from Tarn-Taran but initial police report says it was a case of personal enmity,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.

“Law and order situation is peaceful. We’ll beat both BJP and Akali Dal,” he said.

The CM cast his vote in Patiala with his family.

Singh had earlier said that the Congress party of 2019 is giving more importance to regional leaders than it was doing earlier.

He said that regional leaders have a better connect with the people in the states.

The Punjab CM asserted that the party has become more aggressive and dynamic under Congress president Rahul Gandhi, adding this is particularly welcome in the current political environment when the nation requires a strong alternative to the BJP.

In a bold declaration, Singh had on Thursday said that he will resign from his post if the Congress is wiped out in the state in the Lok Sabha elections.

“I would take responsibility and quit if the Congress is wiped out in the state in these Lok Sabha elections. All ministers and MLAs have been made responsible for the Congress party’s performance in the state. I am ready to take the same responsibility,” Singh said.

Voting in all 13 parliamentary seats in Punjab took place on 19 May. The state, which has a Congress-led government under Amarinder Singh, is witnessing a three-corner clash between the grand old party, the BJP-SAD alliance and the AAP.

A total of 278 candidates are in the fray, the highest in any of the seven states and one Union Territory where polling is being held today.

Among the key contenders is BJP’s Sunny Deol from party bastion Gurdaspur. He is up against Sunil Jakhar of Congress, the sitting MP who won the seat in a by-election in 2017. Peter Masih Cheeda of AAP is the third main contender from the seat.

Union minister and SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal is contesting from Bhatinda. She is facing Amarinder Singh Raja Warring of Congress and Baljinder Kaur of AAP.

Among the big names from the Congress is former Union minister Manish Tewari, who is contesting from Anandpur Sahib against SAD’s Prem Singh Chandumajra and Narinder Singh Shergill of AAP.