'Party is finished': AAP rebel after joining BJP
What's the story
Suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, hours after he resigned from the Punjab Legislative Assembly. Along with Singh, two other rebel AAP leaders, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra and Chetan Singh Jouramajra, also joined the BJP ahead of the crucial 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. After he joined the BJP, Singh took a jibe at his former party, saying its political presence in Punjab has ended.
Party collapse
AAP's political presence in Punjab has ended: Singh
He said, "In Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party is finished, Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann have brought about its collapse themselves."
"For all practical purposes, AAP no longer exists," Singh told ANI, expressing confidence that a "double-engine government" will soon be formed in Punjab with the BJP at the helm.
Crime concerns
Singh recalls his tenure as an SP in Amritsar
The former police officer also spoke about Punjab's crime rate and drug menace in Punjab.
He recalled his tenure as an SP in Amritsar, when he claimed they eradicated crime and drugs between 2007 and 2009.
"As for the crime rate, I served as an SP in Amritsar; back in 2007, 2008, and 2009, we completely eradicated both the drug menace and crime. However, after I left, the situation was never brought under control again," he said.
Election preparations
AAP releases 1st list of candidates for upcoming polls
The AAP has already announced its first list of 40 candidates for the upcoming elections.
The list includes Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann from Dhuri, Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Kotkapura, and Minister Sanjeev Arora, who is currently in jail, from Ludhiana West.
Other ministers on the list are Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal (Ajnala), Balkar Singh (Kartarpur), Jai Krishan Singh Rouri (Garhshankar), Kulwant Singh (S A S Nagar) and Labh Singh Ugoke (Bhadaur).