Captain Amarinder Singh leaves for Delhi to join BJP; PLC merger likely tomorrow

Former Chief Minister and Punjab Lok Congress president Amarinder Singh is set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party today. As per sources, Singh (80) has left for Delhi, where he will join the BJP in the presence of party president JP Nadda among other leaders. He will be accompanied by seven former MLAs and one former MP who had joined the PLC. 

On Monday, Captain Amarinder will also merge his newly formed party with the BJP. Other office bearers and district presidents of the PLC will join the saffron party in a separate event in Chandigarh next week. 

Amarinder Singh had floated PLC last year after quitting the Congress following his unceremonious exit as chief minister. Singh, who recently returned from London following spinal surgery held meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.

BJP-PLC merger

In his recent meeting with Shah on September 12, Singh reportedly held a very productive discussion on various issues related to national security, rising cases of narco-terrorism in Punjab, and the future roadmap for the state's overall holistic development.

Captain had conveyed his intention to merge his party with the BJP before departing for London, senior Punjab BJP leader Harjit Singh Grewal had said in July. 

The two-time former chief minister is the scion of the erstwhile Patiala royal family. He quit Congress and was replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi last year. Notably, months after Captain's exit Congress was routed in the Assembly polls in February with Channi losing both the seats he contested.

Meanwhile, Captain Amarinder's PLC contested the elections in alliance with the BJP and the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyuk). However, none of its candidates could register a win, with Singh himself losing from his home turf of Patiala Urban.