Former MLA Gurpreet Singh joins AAP, Congress calls move '€˜political suicide'

Former Punjab Congress MLA Gurpreet Singh on Saturday joined the AAP in the presence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, with the opposition party describing his switch as a political suicide.Singh was elected as MLA from the Bassi Pathana assembly in Fatehgarh Sahib district in the 2017 elections.

Former Punjab Congress MLA Gurpreet Singh on Saturday joined the AAP in the presence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, with the opposition party describing his switch as a ''political suicide''.

Singh was elected as MLA from the Bassi Pathana assembly in Fatehgarh Sahib district in the 2017 elections. He lost the seat in the 2022 polls.

Punjab Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said Singh's switch will boost the AAP in Fatehgarh Sahib.

''We are happy that Gurpreet Singh, who is an ex-MLA from Bassi Pathana, joined the party in the presence of Chief Minister Mann. We welcome him,'' Hayer told reporters.

''The chief minister has said the party will get a boost in the Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha constituency with his (Singh's) joining,'' he added.

Singh joined the AAP with hundreds of his supporters, Hayer said and added that more and more people are joining the party because of the state government's ''pro-people'' decisions, including providing free electricity.

Singh said the main reason behind his decision to quit the Congress was a ''lack of discipline'' in the party.

He also said he has been impressed by Mann's work.

''I like Mann's work. He is an honest leader. That is why we are joining the AAP. Today, at the grassroots level, people only speak about the AAP,'' Singh said.

Hayer said decisions regarding ticket distribution will be made by the AAP's Political Affairs Committee.

Asked if he will be fielded from Fatehgarh Sahib in the Lok Sabha polls, Singh said it will be decided by the party high command.

Singh alleged that former chief minister and Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi had fielded his brother from the Bassi Pathana seat during the 2022 assembly polls to defeat him.

Channi's brother Manohar Singh had contested as an Independent from Bassi Pathana.

Reacting to Singh's switch, senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa called the move a ''political suicide.'' Bajwa said Singh had earlier been with the People's Party of Punjab and the Shiromani Akali Dal. Singh's switch makes it clear that the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP does not have candidates to field in the Lok Sabha elections.

The AAP and the Congress are both members of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc.

The two parties have entered seat-share arrangements for Delhi, Gujarat and Haryana ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. In Punjab, the parties have decided to contest the independently.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)