Daijiworld Media Network - Chandigarh
Chandigarh, Feb 15: Industrialist-turned-politician Arvind Khanna on Sunday joined the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) after resigning from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), marking yet another political shift in Punjab ahead of key electoral battles.
Khanna, who had earlier been associated with the Congress, joined the BJP in 2022 and was later appointed vice-president of the party’s Punjab unit. He contested the 2022 Punjab Assembly election from Sangrur on a BJP ticket and also fought the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the same constituency but failed to secure victory in both contests.
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal personally visited Khanna’s residence in Sangrur to formally induct him into the party fold.
Sources close to Khanna said he had grown disillusioned with the BJP, as despite sustained efforts, the party struggled to gain traction in rural Punjab. They added that Khanna felt the BJP’s outreach in agrarian belts remained limited, prompting his decision to switch to the SAD.
His entry is expected to bolster the Akali Dal’s organisational base in the Malwa region, particularly in and around Sangrur.