Amid hectic politicking ahead of the February 20 elections in Punjab, party-hopping has become the hottest trend in the poll-bound state. Punjab, in fact, has never seen party switching of this magnitude as it is now during a multi-cornered contest where rejects from one party easily finding greener pastures in the other.
With the former CM forming his own Punjab Lok Congress outfit and entering into an alliance with the BJP and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa’s SAD (Sanyukt), most leaders who could not land tickets from their respective parties have seen the alliance as an opportunity.
But while many leaders from Congress, SAD, BJP and AAP have jumped ship, AAP and PLC have also seen their candidates return tickets to join the Congress.
Sitting MLAs, who quit Congress, Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa and Dr Harjot Kamal, have been fielded by BJP from Batala and Moga, respectively. Bajwa joined BJP anticipating he will be denied ticket by Congress from Qadian as his elder brother and Rajya Sabha member Partap Singh Bajwa and got the ticket from Qadian. Dr Harjot Kamal was dumped by Congress as it fielded actor-turned-philanthropist Sonu Sood’s sister, Malvika Sood.
Former Cabinet minister and Amarinder’s aid, Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, quit Congress to join BJP to get fielded from Ferozepur City. He is a sitting MLA from Guru Harsahai.
Another Congress MLA from Sri Hargobindpur quit Congress to join BJP with Fateh Bajwa but soon came back to Congress. But in the end, he was denied ticket from Congress.
The Congress also saw its leader from Garhshankar, Nimisha Mehta, quit the party after she was ignored during ticket distribution. The next day, she was nominated by BJP from Garhshankar.
Party hopping by a Punjab Congress legislator’s wife in Uttar Pradesh, Aditi Singh, from Congress to BJP, ended up in her husband Angad Singh losing the Congress ticket from Nawanshahar. Angad is now fighting as an Independent.
A former Congress MLA and close aide of Amarinder, Arvind Khanna, joined BJP and got nominated from Sangrur. Former SAD stalwart late Gurcharan Singh Tohra’s grandson, Kanwar Singh Tohra joined BJP and has been fielded from Amloh.
All India Sikh Student Federation’s (AISSF) former president Kuldeep Singh Kahlon is the BJP candidate from Dera Baba Nanak.
SAD leaders Sarbjit Singh Makkar has been fielded by the BJP from Jalandhar (Cantt), Darshan Singh Shivjot from Chamkaur Sahib, and Gurpreet Singh Shahpur from Nabha.
Jagdish Kumar Jagga, who joined PLC after quitting Congress joined BJP in a matter of few days and was nominated from Rajpura.
PLC’s Satvir Singh, who was announced as a candidate from Nawanshahar switched back to Congress after quitting PLC and was fielded by Congress on Sunday.
AAP’s candidate from Ferozepur Rural, Ashu Bangar, quit AAP only to join Congress and get the party ticket.
Another Congress leader Satinder Singh Chajjalwandi quit the party to join SAD and got a SAD ticket on the same day. He was denied a Congress ticket from Baba Bakala.
Former SAD MLA Didar Singh Bhatti quit his party to join the BJP. He is now the BJP candidate from Fatehgarh Sahib and his nephew and AAP leader, Gurpreet Bhatti, also joined BJP and got the ticket from Khanna.
Former Congress MLA Joginder Singh Mann quit Congress to join AAP and contest from Phagwara. Former AAP state chief Sucha Singh Chottepur has joined SAD and is their candidate from Batala now.
There are a few who switched parties but have not been fielded. They include former minister in SAD-BJP government Madan Mohan Mittal, who quit BJP to join SAD after he was denied ticket. Several AAP MLAs quit their party to join Congress, but did not get tickets. They include Primal Singh Khalsa and Nazar Singh Manshahia, while Rupinder Kaur Ruby, Sukhpal Khaira and Jagga Hissowal, who quit AAP to join Congress, have been nominated.
The Congress also saw its leader Sukhjinder Raj Singh Lalli Majithia join AAP and get ticket from Majithia. Mohan Lal Banga of Congress quit the party to get BJP ticket from Banga.
Another Congress leader Hand Raj Joshan had joined SAD to be nominated from Fazilka and Mohinder Singh Rinwa is contesting on SAD ticket from Fazilka.
AAP has also been poaching on other party leaders. These include SAD’s Madan Lal Bagga from Ludhiana North. He was once a close aid of the Badal family.
However, in July 2021, after being from SAD, Kulwant Singh Sidhu too got AAP ticket from Atam Nagar constituency in Ludhiana. Before joining the AAP in August last year, Kulwant Singh Sidhu was a senior Congress leader.
Daljit Singh ‘Bhola’ Garewal, a Lok Insaaf Party leader, who joined AAP in 2017 but quit to join Congress, joined AAP again and got the ticket from Ludhiana (East).
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