CHANDIGARH: Former Punjab Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch Parkash Singh Badal's cousin, Major Bhupinder Singh Dhillon (retd), joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, in a move that could have political significance in the Badal family's traditional stronghold of Lambi.
The 78-year-old Dhillon, popularly known as Major Bhupn, joined the BJP in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon.
A senior member of the Badal family, Dhillon served as Political Secretary to Parkash Singh Badal for 25 years and was a state minister in the SAD-BJP government from 1997 to 2002.
Dhillon's father, the late Gurraj Singh Dhillon Badal, was a Rajya Sabha MP of the Akali Dal from 1952 to 1958. He was also associated with Parkash Singh Badal's early political career.
A former Army officer, Dhillon served in the Indian Army until 1988 and participated in the 1971 India-Pakistan war. He has been associated with election campaigns since 1994 and has remained active among people in the Lambi constituency.
After joining the BJP, Dhillon said he was impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's work and indicated that he would become more active in electoral politics. He also said he would add 'Badal' to his name.
Dhillon, however, said he had no grievance against his nephew and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal.
His BJP induction comes months after Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini visited his Chandigarh residence in June while he was recovering from spine surgery. Former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal also visited him three times before Sukhbir Singh Badal subsequently called on him.
Dhillon's ancestral home is located next to Sukhbir Singh Badal's former residence in Badal village.
His entry into the BJP comes ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, with the party seeking to expand its footprint in the state and particularly in the Malwa region.
The move also adds to the BJP's growing association with members of the Badal family. In January 2023, Manpreet Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal's cousin, joined the BJP after quitting the Congress. He was recently appointed the party's national vice-president.
The BJP has described Dhillon's induction as a boost to its organisational and political strength in Punjab and he is now being seen as a potential party face in Lambi, the Badal family's home turf.
Manpreet Badal, who is also from Badal village, is currently active in the Bathinda Urban and Gidderbaha constituencies.
The BJP had fielded its former Muktsar district president Rakesh Dhingra from Lambi in the 2022 Assembly elections against Parkash Singh Badal of the SAD, AAP's Gurmeet Singh Khuddian and Congress candidate Jagpal Singh Abulkhurana.
Khuddian won the seat with 66,313 votes, while Parkash Singh Badal polled 54,917 votes. Abulkhurana secured 10,136 votes and Dhingra received 1,116 votes, fewer than the votes polled by NOTA.