CHANDIGARH: Six political parties in Punjab have decided to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections under the banner of Punjab Democratic Alliance, after reaching consensus on 12 Lok Sabha seats.The alliance comprises Punjab Ekta Party, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Lok Insaaf Party, Suspended AAP MP Dr Dharamvir Gandhi’s newly-formed Nawan Punjab Party, the CPI and RMPI headed by Mangat Ram Pasla.
The BSP will contest three seats (Anandpur Sahib, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur), Punjab Ekta Party will field candidates on another three (Bathinda, Faridkot and Khadur Sahib), and Lok Insaaf Party will contest from Ludhiana, Amritsar and Fatehgarh Sahib.
Nawan Punjab Party (Patiala), CPI (Ferozepur) and RMPI (Gurdaspur) will each fight from one seat. Sukhpal Singh Khaira, president of Punjab Ekta Party, said the alliance had been forged to liberate Punjab from the clutches of “corrupt” Congress and the SAD-BJP alliance.