Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said that he will soon launch his new political party and contest all 117 seats in the Punjab Assembly elections scheduled to be held next year, reported ANI.
“The name [of the party] will be announced once the Election Commission clears it along with the symbol,” he said at a press conference in Chandigarh. Singh claimed that “plenty of Congressmen” were going to join his party, The Indian Express reported.
“Obviously many people are with us,” Singh said, according to PTI. “We are waiting for the opportune moment. But I will not take their names as my supporters are already being harassed.”
On October 19, Singh’s media advisor Raveen Thukral had said that the former Punjab chief minister was hopeful about a seat sharing arrangement with the Bharatiya Janata Party for the Punjab elections. The next day, the BJP too had said that it was open to an alliance with Singh.
On Wednesday, Singh said that he would lend “issue-based” support to the BJP, NDTV reported.
“I never said that I will align with the BJP...All I said was that my party will look for a seat-sharing agreement,” Singh said. He also refuted speculation about an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal. Singh said that he would put up a “united front” to defeat the Akalis, Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress.
Singh had stepped down as Punjab chief minister last month amid a tussle with Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu. On September 30, Singh had said that he would quit the Congress as he had been humiliated by the party leadership.
On Wednesday, Singh also said that he and around 30 other leaders will meet Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday to discuss the three contentious agriculture laws passed by the Centre last year.
Singh claimed to have fulfilled 92% of the promises made in the Congress’ manifesto for the 2017 Punjab Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, soon after Singh’s press conference, Sidhu accused him of being a chief minister loyal to the BJP and alleged that he had “sold the interests of Punjab to save his skin”.
“You were the negative force stalling Justice and development of Punjab,” Sidhu said in a tweet.
Singh defended himself by saying that the idea of sharing seats with the BJP came only after he was forced out of office. “States have to work with the Centre to function effectively,” he added. “We will fight and defeat Sidhu from wherever he contests the upcoming Assembly polls.”
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