New Delhi, December 17: Bharatiya Janata Party is all set to contest Punjab Assembly elections in alliance with former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s party Punjab Lok Congress.
Union Minister and Punjab BJP in-charge Gajendra Singh Shekhawat confirmed this information today and said to reporters, “After 7 rounds of talks, today I confirm that BJP and Punjab Lok Congress are going to fight the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections together. Topics like seat share will be discussed later.”
Punjab Lok Congress leader and former CM Captain Amarinder Singh today met Union minister and Punjab BJP incharge Gajendra Singh Shekhawat at latter’s residence in Delhi.
Punjab Lok Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh told reporters today, “We are ready and we are going to win this election. The decision on seat sharing will be taken on the seat to seat basis, with winnability being the priority. We are 101 per cent sure of winning this election.”
On November 2, former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh resigned from the Congress party and announced a new party Punjab Lok Congress ahead of Punjab Assembly elections.
Amarinder Singh had tweeted at that time, “I have today sent my resignation to @INCIndia President Ms Sonia Gandhi ji, listing my reasons for the resignation. ‘Punjab Lok Congress’ is the name of the new party. The registration is pending approval with the @ECISVEEP. The party symbol will be approved later.”
Singh had resigned in September as the chief minister and announced that he will be quitting the Congress after months of a rift with Congress state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.
He had resigned ahead of Congress legislature party meeting which was called amid unending factional battles in the ruling Congress in the state. Singh was replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi as the chief minister of the state.
Punjab assembly polls will be held in 2022.
In the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls, Congress won an absolute majority in the state by winning 77 seats and ousted the SAD-BJP government after 10 years. Aam Aadmi Party emerged as the second-largest party winning 20 seats in 117-member Punjab Legislative Assembly. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) could only manage to win 15 seats while the BJP secured 3 seats.
