Industrialist-politician Arvind Khanna joined the Shiromani Akali Dal on Sunday, shortly after resigning from the Bharatiya Janata Party.
A former Congress leader, Khanna had initially joined the BJP in 2022, subsequently being appointed vice-president of its Punjab unit. Despite contesting multiple elections on a BJP ticket, including the 2022 Punjab Assembly election and the 2024 Lok Sabha election — both from the Sangrur constituency — he failed to secure victory.
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal visited Khanna’s home in Sangrur to formally welcome him into the party. Sources close to Khanna suggested he had become frustrated with the BJP due to a lack of support in rural areas, despite his concerted efforts.
Earlier, he had resigned from the state assembly as the Congress party legislator.
Khanna, a close confidant and relative of former chief minister and Congress leader Amarinder Singh, was elected legislator from Dhuri assembly seat in Sangrur district. He is also related to former union external affairs minister Natwar Singh.
Before he joined the BJP, there were speculations that Khanna was going to quit the Congress and join the Shiromani Akali Dal. His absence from Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's political rally in Barnala town during the Lok Sabha election campaign added fuel to the fire.
Khanna, however, maintained that he left due to family and business interests and was not joining the Akali Dal as he had differences with state Congress president Pratap Singh Bajwa.
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