Former Congress MP from Jalandhar Mohinder Singh Kaypee meets Sukhbir Badal, may join Akali Dal

Tribune News Service

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, April 19

Former Congress MP from Jalandhar and ex-PPCC chief Mohinder Singh Kaypee on Friday met SAD chief Sukhbir Badal, fuelling speculations that he could join the party and be its candidate.

likely to take on relative Channi

• Akali leaders are learnt to have been upbeat over the reports of talks with Mohinder Singh Kaypee
• Interestingly, Kaypee’s daughter Karishma is wedded to Congress Jalandhar candidate and ex-CM Charanjit Channi’s nephew Manraj Singh
• If Kaypee contests from the Akali Dal, it will be a directed fight between the two related families

Kaypee confirmed having met Sukhbir, but said he was not interested in contesting the parliamentary elections this time as his wife was unwell. “She has been admitted to the PGI-Chandigarh for 15-20 days and is recovering. I cannot afford to switch the party and contest at this stage,” he said.

However, there are reports that he had even gone to Delhi last week and met the central leadership, staking claim on the Congress ticket from Hoshiarpur, where he had contested and lost to the BJP’s Vijay Sampla in 2014. He was an aspirant from the Adampur Assembly seat from the Congress in 2022 but had lost the claim at the last moment to Sukhwinder Kotli, who emerged victorious.

Akali leaders are learnt to have been upbeat over the reports of talks with Kaypee.

Being a devout follower of the Radha Soami Dera at Beas, Kaypee has this as an additional edge in Jalandhar. Akali leaders feel that he could partly cover the loss that it suffered in Adampur, post Pawan Tinu’s shifting to the Aam Aadmi Party as its candidate from Jalandhar. He also has good connections in the urban pockets, where the Akali Dal trails so far.

Meanwhile, Sukhbir Badal is set to camp in Jalandhar till Saturday afternoon. He has fixed meetings with leaders from Adampur, Kartarpur, Jalandhar Central and Jalandhar Cantt Assembly segments in the day.

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