Punjab Polls: Amarinder Singh to ally with BJP

Chandigarh, Dec 06: Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has said that decision regarding alliance with BJP for next year's Punjab polls has been taken and that only seat-sharing arrangement is to be finalised.

Addressing a press conference, Amarinder said that a decision has been taken in principle and seat adjustment will be announced soon.

"In principle, a decision has been taken, now seat adjustment is to be done. We will also do seat adjustments with Dhindsa sahab's party. I will tell both parties that we should pick winners, support those candidates," Singh said.

Asked, if he would to be the Chief Ministerial candidate of the alliance, he said: "All alliance partners will decide on the Chief Ministerial face."

"We are very hopeful that the upcoming elections, we will win...with seat adjustment with the BJP and Dhindsa sahib, we will form the next government," said Singh.

On Saturday, Home Minister Amit Shah said that the BJP is in talks with former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and former Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa to forge an alliance with their parties ahead of the state assembly polls.

"We are talking to Captain saab (Amarinder Singh) as well as (former Akali Dal leader Sukhdev Singh) Dhindsa saab. It is possible that we will have an alliance with both (their) parties. We are talking to both parties with a positive mind," Shah at the HT Leadership Summit 2021.

In Punjab, the BJP trying its luck on its own after its decades-old ally Shiromani Akali Dal parted ways with it over the issue of farm laws last year.

On September 18, Amarinder Singh quit as chief minister of Punjab accusing the Congress party of humiliating him.

Punjab will go to polls next year.