NEW DELHI: Former Congress leader Manpreet Singh Badal, who joined the BJP on 18 January, might be BJP’s pick for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from the Bathinda constituency.
The former Finance Minister of Punjab and estranged cousin of Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal, Manpreet Singh Badal joined BJP in the national capital in presence of leaders like Union minister Piyush Goel and BJP General Secretary Tarun Chugh. Manpreet’s entry into the saffron party came at a time when Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra was in Punjab.
For the last three terms, since 2009, Bathinda Lok Sabha is represented by Harsimrat Kaur Badal and it is also known as an Akali Dal bastion. In 2014, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and her brother-in-law Manpreet Badal were competing for the seat. Manpreet Singh Badal was the candidate from the People’s Party of Punjab and Congress coalition and lost the seat with a margin of 19,395 votes. In the last 2019 elections, Harsimrat Kaur Badal was in a direct fight with Congress candidate Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, but the Congress was defeated
It was also seen that Manpreet Singh Badal stayed away from the important meeting held in Bathinda on 24 January, chaired by Punjab in-charge and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. The meeting was called to chalk out plans for the Bathinda Lok Sabha elections. Garnering support from local BJP leadership, and keeping his old loyalists from Congress and Akali Dal in the loop are some challenges for the influential Badal family leader.
Manpreet Singh Badal may be BJP’s pick for Bathinda Lok Sabha seat
इस शब्द का अर्थ जानिये
- Advertisement -