AAP’s Lone Lok Sabha MP Sushil Rinku Joins BJP Ahead Of Lok Sabha Polls

New Delhi: Sushil Kumar Rinku, the lone Lok Sabha MP from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This move was accompanied by Jalandhar West MLA Sheetal Angural also joining the BJP at the party’s headquarters in Delhi today.

Rinku, who secured a resounding victory in the 2023 Jalandhar Lok Sabha by-elections, is reportedly set to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections under the BJP’s banner. Notably, in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, Rinku and Angural were rivals for the Jalandhar West seat, with Angural clinching the victory on an AAP ticket against Rinku, who was then representing the Congress. Subsequently, Rinku switched allegiance to the AAP in 2023.

Stating his reasons for joining the BJP, Rinku cited he joined the party for the development of Punjab, particularly in Jalandhar, and criticized the AAP-led state government for alleged negligence in advancing developmental projects. Emphasizing his motives, Rinku asserted, “I have no greed for power. I am doing a new experiment for the betterment of Jalandhar.”

In another noteworthy development, Ludhiana MP and Congress leader Ravneet Singh Bittu also joined the BJP. Bittu, the grandson of former Chief Minister of Punjab, Beant Singh, known for his pivotal role in the state’s anti-terrorism campaign, joined the BJP on Tuesday.

With polling scheduled for June 1, the seventh and final phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, all eyes are on the evolving political landscape in Punjab.