- Gurpreet Sekhon joined Aam Aadmi Party ahead of Punjab assembly elections
- AAP Punjab chief Bhagwant Mann welcomed Sekhon at Zira event in Ferozepur
- Sekhon may be AAP candidate from Zira assembly constituency in upcoming elections
Gurpreet Singh Sekhon, a gangster-turned-politician and the main accused in the Nabha jailbreak case, has joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) months before the assembly elections in Punjab. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann welcomed Sekhon in the AAP fold at a special event held in Zira in Ferozepur district.
"Impressed by the pro-people policies of AAP, Gurpreet Singh Sekhon and his supporters have joined the AAP," the party's Punjab unit said in an online post, sharing photos of the two leaders from the event.
Political analysts believe that the AAP might field Sekhon as its candidate from the Zira assembly constituency. Sekhon had notably opened his office here just 10 days ago and is expected to launch his campaign soon.
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His entry has also sparked talks and disappointment within the camp of Naresh Katariya, sitting MLA from Zira. Originally from the nearby area of Makhu, Katariya wields considerable influence in this constituency, and if the AAP fields Sekhon from here, the political dynamics could shift dramatically.
Sekhon first grabbed headlines in November 2016 when he escaped after the Nabha jailbreak in Punjab. Three months later in 2017, he was arrested in Moga. He was named as the main accused in the jailbreak case but was released following orders from the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
As time went by, he started getting involved in local body politics.
A few months ago, he fielded two of his relatives as independent candidates in the Zila Parishad and Block Samiti elections in Punjab. Both won from Bajidpur and Ferozeshah, backed by the Shiromani Akali Dal.
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Sekhon was arrested before the local elections too due to political rivalry, an action that he had alleged was taken at the behest of Rajnish Kumar Dahiya, the MLA from Ferozepur Rural.
The Zira Assembly seat has traditionally been a stronghold of the Akali Dal. But the party's grip on this seat had weakened after the death of Akali leader and former MLA Hari Singh Zira.
Congress leader Kulbir Singh Zira won the seat in 2017 while the AAP's Katariya won it in 2022.
