Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, and merged his party Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) with the saffron party. PLC spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal notified of the development on Friday that came days after Amarinder Singh met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.
“Had a very productive meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah Ji. Discussed various issues pertaining to National security, the rising cases of narco-terrorism in Punjab and the future roadmap for the overall holistic development of Punjab,” Singh had tweeted.
Amarinder Singh who broke ties with Congress ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections had fought the polls in alliance with BJP. Seven former MLAs and one former MP, who joined the PLC, will also be among those to follow Singh, as per party spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal. Other office bearers and district presidents of the PLC will also join the BJP in a separate event in Chandigarh, Baliawal had said.
Singh, who recently returned from London following spinal surgery, had floated the PLC last year after quitting the Congress following his unceremonious exit as chief minister and had even allied with the BJP in Punjab to contest the assembly elections.
Singh had launched the PLC in 2021 after quitting Congress following his unceremonious exit as chief minister of Punjab. In 2022, the PLC contested the elections in alliance with the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyuk), but did not win a single seat.
The two-time former chief minister is the scion of the erstwhile Patiala royal family. He is one of the most influential political leaders in Punjab and was elected the chief minister of Punjab twice in his political career.
