Punjab Polls: Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa is the brother of senior party leader and MP Pratap Bajwa.
Two Punjab Congress MLAs, including a prominent leader tipped to be the party's candidate in the state election, joined the BJP today.
Among them is Congress MLA Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa, the brother of senior party leader and MP Pratap Bajwa.
Fateh Jung Bajwa is the MLA from Punjab's Qadian. The constituency may now see a battle of the brothers in the election with Pratap Bajwa reportedly eager to contest from there.
At a recent rally, Congress's Punjab president Navjot Singh Sidhu had even declared Fateh Bajwa as a party candidate. However, soon after that pronouncement, Pratap Bajwa made it clear to his party that he is also interested in the same seat. Sources say anticipating that he would lose the race to his brother, Fateh Jung Bajwa opted for a pre-emptive move.
The other new BJP recruit in Punjab is Balwinder Singh Laddi, Congress MLA from Hargobindpur.
Another Congress MLA, Rana Gurmeet Sodhi, had joined the BJP last week. All three MLAs are, incidentally, loyalists of former Congress leader Amarinder Singh, who quit last month and launched his own party.
But they joined the BJP, instead of Amarinder Singh's new outfit Punjab Lok Congress.
The BJP has tied up with Amarinder Singh ad Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa for the polls early next year.
The BJP, which had till now played second fiddle in Punjab to ex ally Akali Dal, has raised its stakes in the state and plans to go big in the elections. Party leaders claim more Congress and Akali Dal leaders are expected to join in the run-up to the polls.