Political churn in Punjab: Captain Amarinder Singh's PLC to merge with BJP on September 19

Punjab is set to witness a big political churn as former CM Captain Amarinder Singh's party Punjab Lok Congress will merge with BJP on Monday, September 19, sources told Republic TV. This has materialised after marathon meetings between Singh and the senior BJP leadership. Thus, his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on September 12 assumes significance. Earlier, sources had told Republic TV that his wife Preneet Kaur might resign as a Lok Sabha MP from Patiala. 

Elected to the Lok Sabha from Patiala 4 times since 1999, she has served as the Minister of State for External Affairs in the UPA government from 2009 to 2012. Moreover, her daughter Jai Inder Singh might fight the Patiala by-election on a BJP ticket. While PLC formed an alliance with SAD(Dhindsa) and BJP for the Punjab Assembly polls, it failed to win a single seat with Amarinder Singh himself suffering a shock defeat in Patiala Urban. With Shiromani Akali Dal staying out of NDA, the entry of the former Punjab CM and his supporters is likely to boost BJP's chances in the state. 

Amarinder Singh's exit from Congress

Amid the infighting between Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu, the situation escalated after Congress summoned a Legislative Party meeting at 5 pm on September 18, 2021, without keeping the Punjab CM in the loop. Amid growing speculation that Singh will be ousted, the latter tendered his resignation to Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit at about 4.30 pm on the same day owing to "humiliation". Speaking exclusively to Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, Singh asserted that he would remain active in politics. 

Formally resigning from Congress on November 2, 2021, Singh wrote a scathing 7-page letter to party president Sonia Gandhi explaining the rationale behind his decision. He took umbrage at the "midnight conspiracy" carried out by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra whereby a Congress Legislative Party meeting was called without keeping him in the loop. On this occasion, he also announced that his new party will be called 'Punjab Lok Congress'. After failing to make an impact with PLC, Singh reduced his political activities since the formation of the AAP government.