In a surprising turn of events, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) faced a setback in Punjab as its only Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP), Sushil Kumar Rinku from Jalandhar, and Jalandhar West MLA Sheetal Angural, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi. This move, welcomed by BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde, took place in the presence of Punjab BJP chief Sunil Kumar Jakhar and Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
Rinku, who was suspended during the Monsoon Session in 2023 for indiscipline, had joined AAP ahead of the bypolls to fill the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat vacated by the late Congress MP Santokh Chaudhary. A three-time Congress municipal councillor and one-time MLA from Jalandhar (West), Rinku cited dissatisfaction with AAP’s development efforts in Jalandhar as a reason for his departure. He praised the style of functioning of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, stating that his efforts for Jalandhar were better supported by the central government.
The AAP was caught off guard by Rinku’s decision to join BJP, as he disappeared from the campaign after being named as a candidate. Despite efforts by AAP to retain him, Rinku announced his association with BJP. His sudden disappearance and subsequent reemergence in Jalandhar, citing the need for funds to contest elections, added to the drama.
Angural, a first-time MLA who won his seat in 2022, also decided to join BJP, leading to a bypoll for the Jalandhar (West) seat. Interestingly, Angural had defeated Rinku in the 2022 Assembly elections when the latter was with Congress. Both Rinku and Angural belong to Scheduled Castes (SC) in the SC-dominated Doaba region of Punjab.
Earlier, the BJP had also poached Congress MP Ravneet Bittu from Ludhiana, grandson of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. This move came after BJP announced its decision to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Punjab without any alliance partners.
The Lok Sabha elections in Punjab are scheduled for June 1, 2024, in a single phase, alongside the seventh and final phase of polls across the country. Results will be declared nationwide on June 4, marking the end of the electoral process.
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