Will hold seat-sharing talks with BJP soon: Capt Amarinder Singh

Former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday reiterated that he will soon launch his own party and hold talks for seat-sharing with Bharatiya Janata Party for the upcoming state Assembly polls.

"I will soon launch my own party and will hold talks for seat-sharing with BJP, breakaway Akali factions and others for Punjab elections once farmers' issue is resolved. I want to build a strong collective force in the interest of Punjab and its farmers," Captain Amarinder Singh said today.

Earlier on Saturday, Singh's media advisor Raveen Thukral refuted the reports of backend talks with Congress.

"Reports of backend talks with Congress are incorrect. The time for rapprochement is over. I am grateful to Sonia Gandhi ji for her support but will not stay in Congress now," Thukral quoted Captain Amarinder Singh as saying.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had pulled out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in September last year over the farm bills with the resignation of Harsimrat Kaur Badal from the post of Union Minister of Food Processing Industries. Following this, SAD and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in June this year formed an alliance to contest the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections together.

Earlier this week, Captain Amarinder Singh while addressing the media had also announced that he is forming a new political party, name and symbol of which will be shared once cleared by the Election Commission.

Singh had resigned last month as the chief minister and had announced that he will be quitting the Congress after months of a rift with Congress state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

He had resigned ahead of Congress legislature party meeting which was called amid unending factional battles in the ruling Congress in the state. Singh was replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi as the chief minister of the state.

( With inputs from ANI )

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