Chandigarh • Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)Chief Parkash Singh Badal, who led the SAD-BJP combine to a stunning victory in the Punjab Assembly elections, was yesterday formally elected the alliance leader and will take oath as Chief Minister tomorrw.

He was elected leader of the combine at a joint meeting of the newly-elected SAD-BJP legislators here, which was also attended by senior BJP leaders M Venkaiah Naidu and Arun Jaitley.

Earlier, a meeting of SAD MLAs formally elected Badal as the leader of the SAD Legislature Party. Talking to reporters after his election, Badal said his swearing-in will take place at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium at Mohali near here.

He said the two parties would jointly stake claim after the notification of the election was issued by the Election Commission. He also said he would not follow politics of vendetta as was allegedly done by his predecessor Amarinder Singh.

"Vendetta would have no place in our charter of governance. Rule of law will prevail. The focus of the government would be where it should be-- peace, development and prosperity," he said. Eighty-year-old Badal will become the Chief Minister of Punjab for the fourth time having held the key post earlier in 1970-71 for 15 months, 1977-1980 for 32 months and 1997-2002 for five years.

The SAD-BJP alliance stormed back to power winning 67 seats routing the Congress, which bagged 44 seats in the 117-member State Assembly. While SAD has won 48 seats, BJP has got 19 seats. The remaining five seats went to the Independents. Polling for the Beas assembly constituency has been deferred to March 11 following poll-related violence.

In a day of hectic parleys between the two alliance partners, the BJP is said to have staked claimed for the post of deputy chief minister in the new government.

BJP leadership sources said that the claim to this post and other ministerial berth had been made to the Akali leadership in view of the BJP's good showing in the assembly elections.