Soon after resigning from the Congress party, Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal, previously a Congress MLA, joined Aam Aadmi PARTY (AAP) on Friday. Earlier in the day, he had resigned from party membership and legislative position.
The development comes a week after Chabbewal entered the Punjab Vidhan Sabha with an iron chain, claiming that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) needed it because it had failed to control law and order in the state.
Chabbewal, a doctor, is expected to run for the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat for the AAP, Indian Express reported citing sources. He would be the second Congress leader to join AAP in a few days, following Gurpreet Singh GP, who AAP has already nominated for the Fatehgarh Sahib constituency.
The developments come just a few weeks after Congress and AAP refused to ally with the state. The AAP is now welcoming Congress leaders into its ranks.
According to Congress sources, the party found out about his talks with the AAP two days ago and approached him. "He made up his mind. We tried to persuade him, but he couldn't be stopped," a leader told Indian Express.
It was necessary for Chabbewal to resign from the assembly to join AAP.
Previously, former Congress MLA Sushil Kumar Rinku joined AAP and was elected from Jalandhar in the Lok Sabha byelections two years ago. He is now AAP's lone sitting MP.