Will fight all 117 seats; several Congressmen joining us: Amarinder
Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday reiterated he will float a new political party. He said the outfit will contest all the 117 Assembly seats in Punjab which will go to polls early next year. Singh has applied for a party name and symbol, an announcement on which will be made after the Election Commission of India's approval.
Why does it matter?
Singh forming a new party could be good news for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Punjab as he is expected to ally with that party. It may affect the prospects of the Congress party which had asked Singh to resign as Punjab CM last month. Assembly elections in Punjab are set to be held in February-March 2022.
Will consider seat-sharing with BJP: Singh
"I never said that I will align with the BJP. All I said was that I, my party, will look for a seat-sharing agreement," Singh said at a press conference. He added his alliance with the BJP will depend on the resolution of the farmers' protest. He claimed he fulfilled nearly all promises made before the 2017 Punjab Assembly elections.
Singh supports Centre's BSF move
Singh also supported the central government's decision to expand the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Punjab. "The security forces are professional and are there for our security. They are in no way a threat to the government, nor are they taking over the government in Punjab," he said. Leaders of the ruling Congress have vehemently opposed the Centre's move.
Singh leaves for Delhi
After the press conference, the former CM left for Delhi where he is scheduled to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday. Singh has already met Shah several times in recent weeks to discuss the farmers' protest.
'BJP loyal': Sidhu slams Singh
Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu responded quickly to Singh's announcement calling him a "spent cartridge." "We the 78 MLAs of Congress, could never imagine, what we received an arm-twisted, ED controlled BJP loyal Chief Minister of Punjab @capt_amarinder...who sold the interests of Punjab to save his skin! You were the negative force stalling Justice & development of Punjab (sic)," he tweeted.
Singh quit as CM last month
Singh was asked by the Congress leadership to quit as Punjab CM last month following a bitter feud with Sidhu. He was replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi. At that time, the former CM had said he felt humiliated and would explore his options. His meeting with Shah had triggered speculation about him joining the BJP. He, however, denied that.
