Former chief minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh is set to join the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on September 19 in Delhi, reported news agency ANI on September 16.
Singh is also likely to merge his party, Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) with the BJP, confirmed PLC spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal to ANI.
A year ago, the former Punjab CM had quit the Congress party following his unceremonious exit as chief minister. He quit the party after being replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi last year. Eighty-year-old Singh will join the BJP in the presence of party president JP Nadda and other leaders in Delhi.
According to news agency PTI, seven former MLAs and one former MP, who joined the PLC, will be among those to follow Singh. Other office bearers and district presidents of the PLC will join the BJP in a separate event in Chandigarh next week, Baliawal said.
Singh, who recently returned from London following spinal surgery, has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the past fortnight.
After his meeting with Shah on September 12, Singh said he held a very productive discussion on various issues related to national security, rising cases of narco-terrorism in Punjab and the future roadmap for the state's overall holistic development. Singh had conveyed his intention to merge his party with the BJP before departing for London, senior Punjab BJP leader Harjit Singh Grewal had said in July.
The former chief minister would announce the merger upon his return, Grewal had said at the time. The two-time former chief minister is the scion of the erstwhile Patiala royal family.
(With inputs from agencies)
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