BJP, Amarinder Singh's PLC announce alliance for Punjab assembly election

Amarinder Singh met Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in Delhi today.

The BJP today announced an alliance with senior Punjab leader Amarinder Singh's newly formed political party Punjab Lok Congress for upcoming assembly elections in the state.

BJP's state in-charge, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, announced the formation of the alliance after a meeting with Amarinder Singh in New Delhi.

"After 7 rounds of talks, today I confirm that BJP and Punjab Lok Congress are going to fight the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections together," Shekhawat said, adding that seats-sharing and other modalities will be decided later.

Amarinder Singh also confirmed the development and said he was "101% sure of winning the election".

Met union minister & @BJP4India incharge for Punjab, Shri @gssjodhpur in New Delhi today to chalk out future course of action ahead of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections. We have formally announced a seat adjustment with the BJP for the 2022 Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections. pic.twitter.com/cgqAcpW2MW

— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) December 17, 2021

"We are ready and we are going to win this election. The decision on seat sharing will be taken on the seat to seat basis, with winnability being the priority. We are 101% sure of winning this election," the former chief minister was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Amarinder Singh, 79, was abruptly removed by Congress as chief minister in September amid his tussle with state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Singh later resigned from the Congress and formed his own political outfit.

The BJP-PLC alliance adds a fourth corner to Punjab's electoral battle with AAP and Congress being the main contenders. The Shiromani Akali Dal, that lost power to the Congress in 2017, has formed an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party.