Manjinder Singh Sirsa joins BJP against Punjab Polls in big blow to former Shiromani Akali Dal ally

The departure of Manjinder Singh Sirsa could be a big setback for Shiromali Akali Dal

New Delhi:

The BJP made a significant acquisition today ahead of the Punjab elections, but at the expense of its former ally Akali Dal. Manjinder Sirsa, an Akali Dal leader close to the Badals, joins the ruling party.

The BJP is in touch with many Jat Sikh leaders such as Manjinder Sirsa in Punjab, according to its leaders. The party’s strategy for the approaching Punjab polls is to draw disgruntled leaders from Parliament and Akali Dal and bolster its prospects in a state where it has never played a second role.

Sirsa’s departure is a setback for Akali Dal, who is trying to regain a lost position in Punjab, a state it ruled until 2017.

Mr. Sirsa, 48, is a Sikh politician from Sirsa in Haryana. He was a close aide of Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.

A former Delhi MLA, Mr. Sirsa is also the head of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.

He became the face of farmer demonstrations in Delhi, after regularly arranging langar or a community meal for protesters camping on the roads outside the capital for more than a year.

Mr. Sirsa has also traveled to other states such as Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand as farmers marching towards Delhi to launch their protest were blocked by the state government.

As head of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Governance Committee, Mr Sirsa faced criticism when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was honored. Siropa (cloak honoring Sikhs) during his impromptu visit to Gurdwara Rakab Ganj in Delhi last year.

If Mr Sirsa joins, BJP will get a big face of Jat Sikh ahead of Punjab polls.

Following his split with Akali Dal, the BJP’s Punjab ambitions skyrocketed after former Congressman Amarinder Singh quit the party after being replaced as Minister.

Amarinder Singh formed his own party and openly partnered with the BJP, having pledged himself against Parliament and Punjab chief Navjot Sidhu, his bitter rival.

The recent central government’s backing of three controversial agricultural laws has signaled the extent of the ruling BJP’s investment in securing its prospects in Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh, where farmers are a power bloc. force.