NEW DELHI: Former Lok Sabha deputy speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal joined the Bharatiya Janata Party here in the presence of its president J P Nadda on Friday, in a boost to the party ahead of the Jalandhar Lok Sabha by-poll on May 10.
Atwal (86) resigned from the primary membership of the Akali Dal. He was also the Deputy Speaker of the 14th Lok Sabha of India from 2004 to 2009.
His son Inder Iqbal had already joined the BJP. Supporting his son's wish, Charanjit Singh Atwal also bid farewell to the Akali Dal and joined the saffron party. Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal is the BJP candidate from Jalandhar.
The Atwals belong to the Scheduled Caste community, which has a large presence in Punjab.
The BJP is making all-out efforts to put up a strong show in the Lok Sabha seat and has deployed a number of Union ministers and other senior leaders for the campaign.
The party has also been making strong efforts to woo Sikhs and has inducted many leaders from the community.