New front — named Awaz-e-Punjab
AMN / Chandigarh
Former Cricketer and BJP leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, Olympian and Akali MLA Pargat Singh and independent legislators from Ludhiana, Balwinder Singh Bains and Simarjit Singh Bains, have formed a ne political front in Punjab and have decided to contest Assembly elections of 2017.
The leaders announced the new front — named the Awaz-e-Punjab — online on Friday and later confirmed the development. The new front said it would fight the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party against the traditional politics of “deceit, corruption and moral turpitude”.
Pargat Singh — who has been suspended form the SAD — and Simarjit Bains shared a poster of the new front on Facebook.
AAP’s beleaguered former convener Sucha Singh Chottepur is also believed to have extended his support to the new political front. Chhotepur and his supporters — HS Kingra and six of AAP’s zonal heads — will also join the front, a supporter close to the leader said.
Suspended AAP MP Dharamvir Gandhi will be part of the front, sources said, adding that neither he nor Singh need to resign from their respective parties yet since Awaz-e-Punjab is a still a political front and not yet a party.
“As of now we have only formed a forum and not floated any party. It will be a forum of people believing in clean politics and system correction in Punjab. Awaaz-e-Punjab is not the party’s final name,” Singh said.
However, Simranjit Bains said the front would contest all 117 seats. The leaders had reportedly held several meetings in the past week.