Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh is set to set join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) next week, his party spokesperson confirmed on Friday. Singh, who launched his own party — Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) — last year, will join hands with the BJP on Monday, the official said.

It is also likely that Singh will merge his party PLC with the BJP.

Seven former MLAs and one former MP, who joined the PLC, will be among those to follow Singh on Monday, PLC spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal was quoted by PTI as saying.

Singh, a former Congress leader, had floated the PLC last year after quitting the party following his unceremonious exit as chief minister and bitter tussle with Navjot Singh Sindhu.

In his resignation letter to Congress chief Gandhi, Singh had said, “Despite my profound reservations and over the unanimous advice of almost all the MPs from Punjab, you chose to appoint an acolyte of the Pakistani deep state Navjot Sidhu who had publicly hugged the Pakistan Army Chief Gen Bajwa and Prime Minister Imran Khan, as the President of the Punjab Congress Committee."

Amarinder Singh was then replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi.

In the 2022 Punjab Assembly election, the two-time Punjab chief minister lost from his home turf Patiala Urban seat by a margin of 19,873 votes. He was defeated by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Ajit Pal Singh Kohli who won the seat with 48,104 votes.

In the Punjab polls, the AAP had witnessed a landslide win. The party won 92 seats, making a clean sweep in the state. The Congress was relegated to the second position in the state, losing power.

(Edited by : Akriti Anand)

First Published:Sept 16, 2022 2:59 PM IST