SGPC member, expelled by SAD last year, campaigns for party in Ludhiana bypoll
A Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) member Navtej Singh Kaoni, who was expelled from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) last year for alleged anti-party activities, has returned to the party’s campaign trail. After briefly supporting BJP candidates–Hans Raj Hans in the Faridkot Lok Sabha election and Manpreet Singh Badal during the Gidderbaha bypoll–Navtej is now actively campaigning for the SAD’s Ludhiana West bypoll candidate Parupkar Singh Ghumman.
A former executive committee member of the SGPC, Navtej hails from Kaoni village in the Gidderbaha Assembly segment in Muktsar district.
Speaking on his return to the SAD, Navtej said, “Though I was sacked, I continue to support Sukhbir Badal. I am campaigning for the SAD candidate in Ludhiana and was even invited to Sukhbir’s daughter’s wedding functions.”
Regarding his association with the saffron party, he said, “I did not join the BJP. I was just honoured with a ‘Siropa’ by the district unit president at a public programme. However, I did share stages with Hans Raj Hans and Manpreet Badal during their election campaigns, but I remain close to the Badal family, especially Manpreet.”
Navtej was expelled from the SAD in March last year by then Muktsar district president and former MLA Kanwarjit Singh Rozy Barkandi. Interestingly, he is now campaigning alongside Rozy for the Ludhiana bypoll. Rozy even shared photos on his Facebook page showing Navtej sitting beside him at the party candidate’s election office.
