BJP finalising seat-sharing with Amarinder Singh's party in Punjab

The Bharatiya Janata Party is finalising a seat-sharing deal with Captain Amarinder’s party for the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab. Extensive talks between the BJP and Singh’s Lok Congress party are ongoing.

Captain Amarinder Singh is flying to Delhi Wednesday and another round of talks is set to take place between Singh and BJP in-charge for Punjab, union minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat on Friday. Sources in the BJP said that there’s a strong likelihood of an announcement by the end of the week.

Early last week, on December 6, Sekhawat met Captain during his visit to Chandigarh, where talks on seat-sharing were held.

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On Tuesday, speaking to reporters at a party function of state-level workers, Sekhawat said that the BJP looks forward to a seat-sharing deal as both the parties share a common bent of mind.

“Our parties hold identical views on several issues. Talks are going on,” Sekhawat told reporters. New members, including IAS officer SR Ladhar and former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Mohan Lal Banga, joined the saffron party at the function.

The Centre’s withdrawal of the farm laws has largely been seen by both the parties as the paving of an opportunity since the repeal has taken the bite away from the Opposition’s charge of the BJP not being farmer-friendly.

The BJP which has been the junior partner in former alliances in the state now looks towards a bigger space. Irrespective of the seat-sharing with the Punjab Lok Congress, the BJP has maintained that it will contest all of the 117 seats in the assembly segment.

Captain Amarinder, on the other hand, had earlier announced that Punjab Lok Congress will also ally with the Sukhdev Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) party.

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