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Former Congress MLA Gurpreet Singh joins AAP
Former Congress MLA Gurpreet Singh GP was elected as an MLA from the Bassi Pathana assembly constituency seat in Fatehgarh Sahib district in 2017. He had unsuccessfully contested from the same seat in the 2022 assembly elections.
In a setback to the Congress, its former MLA Gurpreet Singh GP on Saturday joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann here.
Singh was elected as an MLA from the Bassi Pathana assembly constituency seat in Fatehgarh Sahib district in 2017. He had unsuccessfully contested from the same seat in the 2022 assembly elections.
Cabinet minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, while welcoming Singh into the party fold, said with his joining, the AAP will get a boost in Fatehgarh Sahib.
“We are happy that Gurpreet Singh GP, who is an ex-MLA from Bassi Pathana, joined the party in the presence of chief minister Bhagwant Mann. We welcome him. The CM has said that with his joining, the party will get a boost in the Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha constituency,” said Hayer while speaking to reporters.
He joined along with hundreds of his supporters, Hayer said, adding that more and more people are joining the AAP because of the state government’s “pro-people” decisions, including free electricity.
Singh said the main reason behind quitting the Congress was a “lack of discipline” in the party.
He also said that he was impressed by Mann’s work.
“I like the work of Mann. He is an honest leader. That is why we are joining AAP. Today, at the grass-roots level, people only speak about the AAP,” Singh said.
To a question, Hayer said the decision regarding ticket distribution will be made by the party’s political affairs committee.
Asked whether he will be fielded from Fatehgarh Sahib parliamentary seat in the coming Lok Sabha polls, Singh said it will be decided by the party high command.
Reacting to Singh’s switch, senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa called the move a “political suicide.”
Bajwa said Singh had earlier been with the People’s Party of Punjab and the Shiromani Akali Dal. “Singh’s switch makes it clear that the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP does not have candidates to field in the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.
