AAP suffers another jolt as Ropar MLA Amarjit Sandoya joins Congress

CHANDIGARH: In less than a week, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab suffered another major jolt on Saturday as its sitting MLA from Rupnagar, Amarjit Singh Sandoya, joined the Congress in the presence of chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh here.
Earlier AAP MLA from Mansa, Nazar Singh Manshahia, had joined the party on April 29.
Welcoming Sandoya into the party fold, Captain Amarinder said the Congress had got a major boost as a result of the wave of exodus from members of various opposition parties in the state – a clear endorsement of his government’s path-breaking initiatives over the past two years.
“AAP national president Arvind Kejriwal’s autocratic style of functioning and the chaos in the state wing of the party was making its legislators feel suffocated, motivating them to shift to the Congress, which was completely focused on development of the state and welfare of its people,” said Amarinder.
Sandhoya's joining would further bolster the Congress prospects in Rupnagar, where Manish Tewari was already making waves as the party’s dynamic candidate, he added. Exhorting Sandoya to put in his best for the parliamentary elections in the state, Captain Amarinder asked him to help Tewari at the grassroots level in the constituency.
Sandoya, who joined along with his supporters, said he was feeling disenchanted in the AAP due to the top leadership's high-handed approach towards Punjab and had decided to join Congress as he felt aligned with the democratic and inclusive philosophy of the party.