Punjab bypoll: Days after SAD withdrew support to Jalandhar West candidate, Surjit Kaur joins AAP

Chandigarh: Days after the Shiromani Akali Dal withdrew support and disowned its candidate Surjit Kaur who was fielded for Jalandhar West bypoll, she joined the ruling AAP in the presence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday.

Sukhbir Singh Badal-led SAD had last week said the party will support the BSP nominee for the July 10 bypoll to the Jalandhar West assembly seat instead of the officially fielded candidate who was picked by a panel, two of whose members have now rebelled against the party chief.

The SAD, last week, was unable to change its authorised candidate Kaur as the last day for withdrawal of nominations had already passed.

Kaur along with some of her family members joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Jalandhar.

She said she will now support AAP candidate Mohinderpal Bhagat for the bypolls.

Speaking after she joined the AAP, Mann hit out at the SAD, saying first they gave the ticket to Surjit Kaur, but later they humiliated her.

They (SAD) said they will support the candidate of some other party (BSP), said Mann.

The chief minister said Kaur and her family are known to have dedicated their lives in the service of people.

"As Punjab chief minister and as the party's state unit president, I welcome her," said Mann.

Kaur later told reporters that it was on Tuesday morning that she decided to join the AAP.

"We did not speak to anyone. We decided in the morning about our move," she said, when asked if she had spoken to any of the rebel SAD leaders.

About her step to join the AAP, Kaur said she and her family thought it was the best thing to do in the interests of people of the area after the SAD withdrew support to her.

AAP leader Pawan Kumar Tinu said the ruling party's candidate is going to win Jalandhar West seat by a big margin. Kaur's joining is going to strengthen the AAP, he said.

The SAD now does not have its own authorised candidate for the July 10 bypoll, senior party leader Daljit Singh Cheema had told reporters on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the SAD's Jalandhar district unit chief had announced that the party has withdrawn support to Kaur, who is a two-time municipal councillor.

Kaur was selected for the seat by a SAD panel comprising Bibi Jagir Kaur, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, MLA Sukhwinder Sukhi and Mohinder Singh Kaypee.

However, Jagir Kaur and Wadala are now among the rebel party leaders who revolted against Badal, demanding that he should step down as the party chief.

The last date of withdrawal of the nomination for the bypoll was July 26.

Surjit Kaur had already been allotted the SAD symbol and she was among the 15 candidates who were left in the fray for the bypoll, which was necessitated following the resignation of Sheetal Angural as the AAP legislator.

Notably, a section of SAD's senior party leaders have revolted against party chief Badal, demanding that he should step down from his post following its debacle in Punjab in the recently held Lok Sabha elections.