Capt Amarinder Singh to merge party with BJP after returning, claims leader

Former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh is likely to merge his party Punjab Lok Congress with the BJP after his return from London, where he is recovering after a spinal surgery.

Though there is no word from the party, senior Punjab BJP leader Harjit Singh Grewal on Saturday claimed that a decision in this connection has been made.

Before departing for London, Singh had conveyed his intention to merge his party with the BJP, Grewal said, adding the former chief minister will announce the merger on his return.

Singh, the scion of the erstwhile Patiala Royal family and a two-time chief minister, had floated the PLC after he quit the Congress following his unceremonious exit as the chief minister last year.

The PLC contested the 2022 state assembly polls in alliance with the BJP and the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyuk).

However, none of the PLC candidates could register a win, with Amarinder himself losing from his home turf Patiala Urban seat.