Ex-Indian ambassador to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu joins BJP, may contest from Amritsar

PTI, Mar 19, 2024, 6:56 PM IST

Credit: X / @BJP4India / video screengrab

New Delhi: Former Indian ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu joined the BJP on Tuesday, amid a possibility that he may be fielded in the Lok Sabha polls from Amritsar in Punjab.

He joined the party in the presence of its general secretaries Tarun Chugh and Vinod Tawde, who highlighted Sandhu’s distinguished family lineage. His father Bishan Singh Samundri was a well-known educationist and founding vice-chancellor of the Guru Nanak Dev University.

Joining the BJP, Sandhu spoke about the growth of the India-US relationship and said development has been its focus area in a host of fields such as the semiconductor industry.

The ties between the two countries have evolved into a partnership that is a win-win situation for both of them, he told reporters, emphasising that its benefits should reach different parts of India like Amritsar in terms of employment opportunities and development.

The former IFS officer thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J P Nadda for his political innings.

Tawde said the presence of someone like Sandhu with a successful diplomatic background in the BJP will strengthen the party.

The BJP has been making concerted efforts to broaden its support among Sikhs, who are in a majority in Punjab, and is hopeful of making a strong impact in the state in the Lok Sabha polls.

The ruling party is especially keen in winning back Amritsar, a seat it has not won since Navjot Singh Sidhu bagged it last in 2009. Sidhu is now in the Congress and the seat is currently represented by its member Gurjeet Singh Aujla.

BJP’s Arun Jaitley and Hardeep Singh Puri, currently a Union minister, lost in the polls from there in 2014 and 2019 respectively.

The party believes Sandhu, who is from the city and comes from a respected Jat Sikh family, may turn out to be its best bet to win back the seat, and he has been on tour across the constituency for months to make connection with different segments of voters.