Ahead of the state assembly elections slated for early next year, Punjab Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal asked former union minister and Lok Bhalai Party (LBP) leader Balwant Singh Ramoowalia to rejoin the Akali Dal.
In a letter to the LBP leader, Badal said his (Ramoowalia's) re-joining the Akali Dal would strengthen the party. The LBP, which has been spearheading the cause of Punjabi youth being duped by illegal immigration agents in the name of sending them abroad, has also been highlighting the plight of young brides from Punjab being abandoned by their Non-Resident Indian (NRI) husbands.
Ramoowalia had earlier been part of the Akali Dal but left the party over two decades ago. Elections to the 117-member state assembly are likely to be held February-March next year. While the main contest will be between the Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance and the opposition Congress, the new political outfit, People's Party of Punjab (PPP), floated by Badal's politically estranged nephew and former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, is likely to make the contest three-cornered in many constituencies.