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Capt Amarinder Singh seals alliance with BJP ahead of 2022 Punjab polls
Union minister Gajendra Shekhawat said the details of seat-sharing will be announced at an ‘appropriate time’
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Capt Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress announced a pre-poll tie-up on Friday, saying that talks on seat-sharing were on.
Amarinder called on the BJP’s Punjab incharge, Union minister Gajendra Shekhawat, at his Delhi residence after an earlier meeting in Punjab.
The former Punjab chief minister addressed the media along with Shekhawat to announce the alliance ahead of assembly elections due in a few months.
“After seven rounds of talks, today I confirm that the BJP and Amarinder will contest the assembly elections in Punjab together. Topics like seat shares will be discussed later,” Shekhawat told the media.
Shekhawat said the details of seat-sharing will be announced at an “appropriate time”.
“The alliance will definitely, 101 per cent win the elections. And winnability will be the main criterion in finalising seats,” Amarinder said.
This is the second meeting between the Punjab BJP’s election incharge and Amarinder for discussions related to the alliance in Punjab. Earlier, Shekhawat had visited Amarinder’s farm house near Chandigarh.
The party is also holding talks simulatenously with Rajya Sabha member Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa’s Akali Dal (Sanyukt) and a meeting is expected in the coming days.
According to senior BJP leaders privy to the discussions about the alliance, the party will be the bigger partner in the seat-sharing arrangement and could contest at least 60 seats.
“The party is adamant on contesting seats dominated by Hindus and the Scheduled Caste population. The party wants to keep more focus on the Majha and Doaba regions,” a senior party functionary said.
The functionary said both Amarinder and the BJP are likely to give final shape to the alliance by the end of the month.
