Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu joins BJP

Chandigarh: In a political setback, outgoing Congress Lok Sabha MP Ravneet Singh Bittu from Punjab’s Sikh-dominated Ludhiana parliamentary constituency joined the BJP in Delhi on Tuesday.

Bittu, the grandson of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, who fought terror and was assassinated by pro-Khalistan terrorists, was twice elected to the Lok Sabha from Ludhiana in 2014 and 2019.

He was vocal about his criticism of the Congress going into an alliance with AAP.

Earlier, he was an MP from Anandpur Sahib in 2009. In the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, there was a possibility of Bittu being shifted to Anandpur Sahib, which he had won in his maiden election in 2009.

In January 2021, he was assaulted at the Singhu border during a 'Jan Sansad' programme.

With over 17 lakh voters spread across nine Assembly segments in Ludhiana Lok Sabha constituency, it has been the stronghold of the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which had won the seat for six and five times, respectively.

From Anandpur Sahib, the Congress outgoing MP is Manish Tewari.

The names of former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Congress district President Sanjay Talwar are doing the rounds for the Congress ticket from Ludhiana.