In the vicinity of the impending Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party in Punjab underwent another setback as Raj Kumar Chabbewal, an MLA, pledged allegiance to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday. This development occurred merely a week subsequent to the defection of Gurpreet Singh GP, erstwhile Congress MLA from Bassi Pathana, who also joined the AAP.
Before affiliating with the AAP, Chabbewal tendered his resignation from the Congress party as well as the Legislative Assembly. Notably, Chabbewal, esteemed as a Dalit leader, commands considerable electoral support. In 2015, he was appointed by the Congress to preside over the Punjab Scheduled Caste Commission.
The AAP’s Punjab division extended a warm reception to Chabbewal, citing his alignment with the pro-people initiatives of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann as the impetus behind his decision to join the party. Speculation is rife that AAP may nominate Chabbewal for the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha constituency. Having previously served two terms as an MLA under the Congress banner, Chabbewal contested the Hoshiarpur seat in 2019 but succumbed to defeat at the hands of BJP’s Som Prakash.
Just ten days ago, Chabbewal delivered a speech in the Assembly, articulating his resolve to alleviate the burden of debt plaguing the Punjab government. Expressing disillusionment with the government’s failure to mitigate the debt as promised, he underscored the escalating debt crisis.
Chabbewal’s defection marks the third instance of a Congress luminary crossing over to the AAP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Preceding Gurpreet Singh GP, MP Praneet Kaur severed ties with the Congress party. Notably, Gurpreet Singh GP has already been designated as a candidate for the Fatehgarh Sahib constituency.
Formerly serving as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Chabbewal’s association with the Congress commenced in 2009. Securing a Congress ticket for the first time in 2017, he emerged victorious from the Hoshiarpur constituency. Subsequently, in the 2022 Assembly elections, he outperformed AAP candidate Harminder Singh Sandhu by a margin of 7646 votes.