Punjab ex-CM Capt. Amarinder Singh to join BJP on Monday
Former Chief Minister and Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) chief Capt. Amarinder Singh will join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, said PLC spokesperson Pritpal Baliawal. Singh may also merge the PLC, which he founded in November last year after quitting Congress, with the BJP. Speculations had gained steam after he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah last week in New Delhi.
Why does this story matter?
Singh had quit the Congress last year after being removed from the CM post unceremoniously following his tussle with the then state Congress chief Navjot Singh Siddhu. He was replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi. Since then, several leaders have abandoned Congress to join the BJP across states. On Wednesday, eight out of 11 Congress MLAs from Goa joined the BJP, including ex-CM Digambar Kamat.
PLC spokesperson Baliawal confirmed the move
PLC-BJP merger decided beforehand
The BJP's national executive member Harjit Grewal said that the merger of the PLC with the BJP had been decided prior to Singh leaving for London. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called earlier on June 27 to ask about Singh's health after his surgery.
PLC allied with BJP, SAD (Sankyukt) for state Assembly elections
Singh formed the PLC and contested state Assembly elections in February this year in an alliance with the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt). As per their arrangement, the BJP contested 65 seats while the PLC contested 37 seats and the SAD (Sanyukt) 15 seats. Among these, many PLC candidates preferred to contest using the BJP symbol.
Singh had lost his bastion Patiala
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) swept the elections defeating the incumbent Congress and relegating it to merely 18 seats out of the total 117. All the PLC candidates were drubbed along with Singh, who lost Patiala which is said to be his bastion. The BJP managed to win two seats while the SAD (Sanyukt) were routed completely.
