Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) former MLA from Jaito assembly constituency Master Baldev Singh on Friday joined the ruling Congress party. Master Baldev Singh had resigned from the AAP a day before.
Notably, Master Baldev was disqualified by Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana KP Singh on October 26, 2021.
A teacher-turned-politician, Master Baldev Singh was elected MLA from Jaito assembly segment on AAP ticket in 2017.
However, he turned rebel when the AAP leadership unceremoniously removed Sukhpal Singh Khaira from the post of the Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha. AAP leadership announced the decision to replace two-time MLA Khaira with first timer Harpal Singh Cheema via Twitter.
Master Baldev went on to join Khaira’s Punjab Ekta Party (PEP) despite being an AAP MLA.
He also unsuccessfully contested from Faridkot Lok Sabha seat on PEP’s ticket in 2019, and later returned to the AAP fold.
With Master Baldev’s joining the Congress, total seven AAP MLAs — Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Pirmal Singh, Nazar Singh Mansahia, Jagdev Singh Kamalu, Rupinder Kaur Ruby, and Jagdev Singh Jagga — are now part of the ruling party.
In its first ever full-fledged Punjab assembly elections in 2017, AAP had 20 MLAs in the 117-member House — emerging as the second-largest party after the ruling Congress. However, the number continued to fall over all these years.
Already, AAP’s Dakha MLA HS Phoolka, the former Leader of Opposition, had resigned in 2019 which was accepted by the Speaker. Only recently, Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana KP Singh accepted Khaira’s resignation and disqualified Master Baldev Singh Jaito, bringing AAP’s strength in the House down to 17.
Out of the remaining 17 members, AAP’s five MLAs — Pirmal Singh, Mansahia, Kamalu, Ruby and Jagga — have already shifted their loyalties towards the Congress, bringing down the effective number of AAP MLAs to 12.
Responding on the defections from AAP, Delhi Chief Minister and party’s supremo Arvind Kejriwal had said that the trend of switching parties was not new.
He had claimed that about 25 sitting MLAs and MPs from the Congress were also in touch with him, “but we do not want to take the same ‘kachra’ (garbage)”.