Jalandhar bypoll: Simarjit Bains' Lok Insaaf Party to back BJP nominee

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, April 30

With just 10 days to go for the Jalandhar bypoll, Simarjit Singh Bains, president of the Lok Insaaf Party (LIP), today announced that his party would support BJP candidate Inder Iqbal Atwal.

Bains said the decision had been taken in view of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s respect for Sikhs and for the ‘dastaar’ (turban).

He also condemned his former alliance partner AAP, saying, “I might have been a part of an alliance with them but was never a part of the loot.”

The LIP chief said he would campaign for the BJP in the bypoll, extend support in the 2024 and 2027 elections and also in the Ludhiana MC polls and will also join the party if the leadership asks him to.

Speaking at a press conference in Jalandhar, accompanied by former Gujarat CM and senior BJP leader Vijay Rupani, Bains said, “The LIP has decided to extend support to BJP candidate Inder Iqbal Atwal in view of PM Narendra Modi’s love for Punjabis, especially Sikhs – witnessed in the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor and the declaration of the Veer Bal Diwas.”

“Modi Sahib da Punjab prati aur khaas kar ke Sikhan prati pyaar aur dastar prati shardha nu vekhke LIP ne eh faisla leya” (We have taken the decision seeing the PM’s love for Sikhs and his respect for the turban),” he said.