Months after facing a resounding defeat in Punjab assembly polls after ending his decade-old association with the Congress and floating his own political outfit, Punjab’s former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh is all set to join ranks with the saffron brigade.
Virtually fighting for political survival, Capt Amarinder will be joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on his return from the UK next week, along with his Congress MP wife Preneet Kaur, while also merging his eight-month-old political outfit ‘Punjab Lok Congress’ (PLC) with the saffron party.
The 89-year-old has recently undergone a spinal surgery in London, and is recuperating at present. He is expected to return by next week, after which he would be formally inducted in the BJP.
It has been learnt that the former two-time Chief Minister will be given an important responsibility, with the saffron party primarily focusing on the next Lok Sabha elections. Several prominent Congress leaders have already joined the BJP — before and after the elections.
‘Patiala Royal’ Capt Amarinder has been in the political wilderness after facing a defeat from a first-timer Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate and that too in his bastion — Patiala city, forfeiting his security deposit.
Capt Amarinder was unceremoniously removed from the Chief Minister’s chair in September last, following his months-long showdown with his bête noire Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was elevated to be Punjab Congress president despite strong opposition by him. In his place, the party chose Charanjit Singh Channi to head the state — becoming Punjab’s first Dalit Chief Minister.
One-and-half months later, the former Chief Minister formally resigned from the Congress party’s membership in November 2021, and went on to float his own political party — PLC, while declaring to contest state assembly polls along with the BJP.
Capt Amarinder’s PLC contested February 20 polls in alliance with the BJP and the SAD (Sanyukt), fielding its candidates on 37 seats of the total 117. A number of PLC candidates preferred to contest on the BJP symbol, which contested on 65 seats, besides SAD (Sanyukt) on 15 seats. All PLC candidates lost badly in the polls, forfeiting their security deposit.
BJP managed to win two seats, with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sweeping the elections with a record 92 seats — highest ever by any political party.
Even as both the sides are not speaking openly about the merger, the decision was taken even before Capt Amarinder went to London for his surgery. It was also decided at that time that the formal announcement would be made on his return.
Capt Amarinder’s close associate and Punjab Congress’ former president Sunil Jakhar has joined the BJP, followed by four former Cabinet Ministers — Balbir Singh Sidhu, Raj Kumar Verka, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, and Sunder Sham Arora. Congress’ former MLA Kewal Singh Dhillon has also joined BJP, and also contested as party candidate for recently-concluded Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll.
BJP is claiming that many more leaders are expected to join the saffron brigade.