New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress on Friday (December 17) formally announced that they will contest the 2022 Punjab assembly elections together and that the alliance is likely to be joined by other parties such as the SAD (Democratic) led by former Union minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa.
After calling on the BJP's Punjab in-charge and Union minister Gajendra Shekhawat at his residence in Delhi, Amarinder Singh said that the alliance 'will definitely' win the Punjab assembly polls.
"The alliance will definitely, 101 per cent, win the elections. And winnability will be the main criterion in finalising seats," Singh said after his second meeting with Shekhawat.
Met union minister & @BJP4India incharge for Punjab, Shri @gssjodhpur in New Delhi today to chalk out future course of action ahead of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections. We have formally announced a seat adjustment with the BJP for the 2022 Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections. pic.twitter.com/cgqAcpW2MW
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) December 17, 2021
Singh, notably, had formed his own party Punjab Lok Congress days after he had resigned as the chief minister and quit the Congress.
Shekhawat informed that the details of seat-sharing will be announced at an 'appropriate time'.
कैप्टन साहब के प्रति मन में एक विशेष आदर है।
भाजपा का शीर्ष नेतृत्व पहले ही यह संकेत दे चुका है की हम साथ मिलकर चुनाव लड़ने वाले हैं।
— Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (@gssjodhpur) December 17, 2021
The BJP, which has been contesting only 23 seats in the 117-member Punjab assembly player as a junior partner of the SAD, is likely to contest more than half of the seats in the upcoming elections.
The alliance with Amarinder Singh is also expected to give the BJP a prominent Sikh face in the Sikh-majority state.
As per reports, the elections in Punjab may become a five-cornered fight as various farmer outfits may enter the fray, besides the already-present Congress, SAD and AAP.
(With agency inputs)
