Why are AAP factions wooing taksalis

ALLY SPOTTING AAP, Punjabi Ekta Party formed by rebel leader Sukhpal Khaira seek tie-up to piggyback SAD’S splinter group for a toehold in Majha

CHANDIGARH: THE rebel Akali veteran leaders led by Khadoor Sahib MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, who have set up their separate Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali), appear to be in great demand ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The taksali Akalis (old guard), who were expelled from the SAD after they spoke out against party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, are being fervently wooed by Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its splinter faction, the newly formed Punjabi Ekta Party (PEP), headed by Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira.

Both parties, whose leaders met Brahmpura in the past four days to explore a possible alliance, are looking to find a footing in the Majha region comprising Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and Pathankot districts. The AAP, of which Khaira was a part until Sunday, had fared abysmally in the region in the 2014 Lok Sabha and the 2017 state assembly polls. It had drawn a zilch there in both elections with most of its candidates forfeiting their deposits.

At the forefront of the new SAD (Taksali) are Brahmpura, former MP Rattan Singh Ajnala and former minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan. The three leaders, who were feeling neglected in the SAD after the levers of power went into Sukhbir Badal’s hands, are contemporaries of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and have considerable sway in the Majha region.

The taksalis and the AAP factions have the Badals as their common target and never miss any opportunity to profess their antipathy towards them. The Akalis, who ruled the state for 10 years on the trot, are also in trouble like never before, having been pushed to the number three position in the state assembly behind the Congress and the AAP.

The SAD had fared poorly in Majha and cracks in its core Panthic support base, accentuated by separation of a section of the old guard in the region, have added to its worries. Both the SAD (Taksali) and its suitors need each other to make an impact. While Brahmpura has expressed satisfaction with his separate talks with the two AAP factions, there is no clear indication as to which side his party will gravitate. An alliance with either of the two factions will be a warning for their rivals nonetheless.