A day after splinter groups of the main political parties of Punjab united to put up a fourth front to give them a tough fight in 2019 parliamentary elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday declared that it was “open to alliance with any party sharing common ideology in Punjab”.
“There is no issue in joining hands with any political outfit to oust the erstwhile SAD-BJP alliance government or the ruling Congress government under the leadership of Capt Amarinder Singh from the corridor of power,” said AAP’s senior leader and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Singh Mann.
Mann said that all possibilities of an alliance were being explored so that the alliance could put up a bold united face on the issues and concerns surrounding Punjab and the Punjabis, thereby showing these traditional political parties, knee-deep in corruption muck, were shown the doors.
He declared that all-out efforts were afoot to possible alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) were underway.
His statement came a day after the leaders of SAD (Taksali) including Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Sewa Singh Sekhwan, Ratan Singh Ajnala, Punjabi Ekta Party’s (PEP) president and AAP rebel leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Lok Insaaf Party’s Simarjeet Singh Bains, BSP’s state unit president Rashpal Raju held a closed door meeting at Ludhiana to work out the modalities of the front, named as Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA).
The discussion was held on the sharing of seats, besides others issues, during the meeting, which would be followed by another in a week’s time to decide on the seat share and the candidates.
SAD (Taksali) Brahmpura had maintained that he had also invited AAP and its senior leader Bhagwant Mann for the meeting, but the Sangrur MP had categorically denied to be a part of an alliance of which Khaira and Bains brothers would be a part.
Initially, the Punjab Democratic Alliance was announced by AAP’s rebel leaders, comprising suspended MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, former AAP leader Khaira, along with Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) MLAs Simarjeet Bains and Balwinder Bains, and BSP’s Rashpal Raju, while inviting all the “like-minded” parties to come along.
Later, SAD (Taksali) too joined hands with the PDA, which had already announced to contest the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
