Punjab: Boost for Congress as AAP MLA Rupinder Kaur Ruby joins party ahead of 2022 polls

Giving a massive blow to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, a party MLA from Bhatinda Rural constituency Rupinder Kaur Ruby following her resignation from the party joined the Congress in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and the party's State Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, on Wednesday.

Ruby's exit from the party comes ahead of the Punjab Legislative Assembly Election scheduled to be held early next year and AAP being one of the main challengers' of the ruling Congress in the state, the switch is considered to be a big setback to the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.

Channi welcomes Ruby, lauds MLA on choosing the 'right party' for Punjab

CM Channi welcomed the former AAP MLA into the party and said that her ambitions to work for the development of Punjab were a "daunting" task under the Aam Aadmi Party. He lauded Ruby's decision to choose the "right party" for Punjab and greeted her on behalf of Congress workers. He further said that more workers from the AAP will be joining Congress in the coming days.

Following her resignation from the party, Ruby took to Twitter and wrote, "Mr.@ArvindKejriwal ji Convener, AAP & @BhagwantMann ji. This is hereby to inform u that I am resigning with immediate effect from the membership of the Aam Aadmi Party. Please accept my resignation. Thanks, Rupinder Kaur Ruby(MLA Bti. rural).''

Happy with the performance of Congress in Punjab: Ruby

Ruby stated that the actual agenda of the Aam Aadmi Party was being followed by the Congress in Punjab and that she was happy with the performance of Congress in the state. Ruby also rued that she was feeling "suffocated" for the AAP in Punjab is being controlled by Arvind Kejriwal centrally from Delhi.

Reacting to her resignation, AAP MLA and Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday took a dig at Ruby, saying she was joining the Congress as she did not have any chance to get the AAP ticket for contesting the upcoming state assembly elections in 2022.

“Rupinder Ruby is our younger sister, (she should) be happy wherever she goes. This time, she did not have a chance to get a ticket from the AAP. Therefore, she is joining Congress. It is a request to Congress not to cheat Ruby and give her a ticket from Bathinda Rural seat,” Cheema said in a tweet. 

Ruby wins Bhatinda seat on AAP ticket

Ruby had significantly entered the political arena with her maiden election victory on an AAP ticket in 2017. She was away from the political platform for a long time now. Her pictures were observed missing from AAP banners. She was last seen at an AAP function during the visit of the party Supremo Arvind Kejriwal in Bhatinda on October 29. She had earlier cited her father’s bad health for not being visible enough in her constituency.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, Congress won an absolute majority in the state by seizing a total of 77 ousting the SAD-BJP government after 10 years of rule in the state. Notably, Aam Aadmi Party emerged as the second-largest party winning 20 seats in 117-member Punjab Legislative Assembly. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) could only manage to win 15 seats while the BJP grabbed three seats.

(With ANI Inputs)

Image: ANI, PTI