Former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday formally joined the BJP in New Delhi in the presence of Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Kiren Rijiju, BJP leader Sunil Jakhar and the party's Punjab chief Ashwani Sharma.

He merged his newly launched Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) with the saffron party which he had floated after quitting Congress.Singh, a two-time former chief minister, is the scion of the erstwhile Patiala royal family.

Former Punjab CM Shri @capt_amarinder merged his party Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) and joined BJP in presence of senior party leaders at BJP headquarters in New Delhi. #JoinBJP pic.twitter.com/5nMFtU1Hm1
— BJP (@BJP4India) September 19, 2022

Former deputy chief speaker Ajaib Singh Bhatti also joined the BJP. Other leaders who joined the BJP were former MLA former Mehal Kalan MLA Harchand Kaur, former Garshankar MLA Love Kumar Goldy and former Ludhiana MP, Amrik Singh Ahliwal and former MLA, Harjinder Singh Thekedar, and former Mansa MLA Prem Mittal.

The Captain's son Raninder Singh and his daughter Jai Inder Kaur also joined the BJP. While his wife Praneet Kaur is a Congress MP from Patiala.

Former Punjab CM Shri @capt_amarinder joins BJP at party headquarters in New Delhi. #JoinBJP https://t.co/UURLEy51Q2
— BJP (@BJP4India) September 19, 2022

During the Punjab assembly polls this February, the PLC contested the elections in alliance with the BJP and the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt). However, the party lost and Singh also lost from his home turf of Patiala Urban. Singh had conveyed his intention to merge his party with the BJP, senior Punjab BJP leader Harjit Singh Grewal had said in July. Before his joining, Singh met BJP president J P Nadda. (With inputs from HindusthanTimes)

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