Awaaz-e-Punjab to Look at Alliance Prospects With Congress or AAP
Days after announcing that the Awaaz-e-Punjab, formed by former BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, would not float a political party to contest the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls, the front on Monday said it will look at the prospects of forging an alliance with Congress or AAP, while ruling out the possibility of joining a fourth front. 


The decision was taken by the front representatives at a five-hour-long meeting at Sidhu's Delhi house last night, said Ludhiana MLA Simarjit Singh Bains who is a part of the front. Besides Sidhu, the meeting was attended by MLAs Pargat Singh and Balwinder Bains.
We have decided to look at the possibilities in theCongress and the AAP to see which party has a strong agenda for Punjab and which can look after the state's interests. After that, we will take a decision on forging an alliance with either of the parties to contest the Assembly polls on a common minimum agenda. The common minimum agenda will be not to let the anti-incumbency votes get divided in order to stop the Badals from retaining power in PunjabBalwinder Bains
Asked when the decision in this regard will be taken, Bains replied “within a few days”, adding that Sidhu has been entrusted with the task.
He said Awaaz-e-Punjab was opposed to the idea of a “fourth front” as proposed by suspended AAP MP Dharamvira Gandhi and sacked AAP Punjab convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur.
The agenda of the meeting was to have a Badal-mukt (Badal-free) Punjab and not to let the anti-incumbency votes get divided, so that the Badals do not come to power again. If the Badals retain power due to the fourth front, it will be a huge loss for Punjab. Therefore, we will appeal to Gandhi, Chhotepur and other like-minded people not to create a fourth front as it will directly benefit the Badals in the polls. Pargat has been assigned the duty to appeal to Gandhi and Chhotepur in this regard.
Cricketer-turned-politician Sidhu, a few days back, had announced that he would not float a party to contest the Punjab polls as he did not wish to play “spoilsport” by dividing the anti-incumbency votes.
-
Ten Things I Learnt This Samvat
Patience can be a trap. Cheap stocks can stay cheap. Leverage can wipe you out. What did Samvat 2082 teach us? Niraj Shah writes on 10 lessons from the year gone by.
-
Talking Points This Week: Tech Nerves, FII Buying, And A Faraway Banking Shock
The global markets are not shining this Diwali. The exception in the large markets is, India.
-
Midterm Rally Lasted A Day. The Hard Reality Of A Divided US May Last Two Years | Opinion
Between a contested AI boom, a debt ceiling that arrives in 2027 and a president with every incentive to act alone, the next two years may prove more volatile than the first day's rally suggests.
-
Blue Wave Will Derail the AI Trade but Won't Dismantle the AI Era | Unhedged Position
The Democrats' sweep of the US Congress will see politics collide with economic forces both over the long and short term.
-
It's Time To Take The GST Council's Bet On Trust Global
Payment records can prove India's services exports, and clear, proportionate rules can bring foreign digital sellers into the tax net.
-
Opinion | India at 38: From Innovation Overperformer to Innovation Powerhouse
India now has 453 VC-backed deep science startups, 18 of them late-stage, after 117 percent growth since 2020. Laurus Labs, at USD 9.3 billion, is the most valuable deep science company in any middle-income economy outside China.
-
Navigating Energy Crossroads: S Jaishankar's Call For Diversified Supply Chains At G20 Ministerial Meeting
As geopolitical fault lines continue to test maritime trade routes and commodity flows, Jaishankar's message remains pertinent: true economic resilience requires open markets, protected transit lines, and a genuine commitment to multilateral cooperation rather than coercion.
-
Indians Are Travelling, But Not Every Journey Is A Holiday | The Week In Whys
Pilgrims, patients and working women are the real travellers, and the system hasn't quite caught up with them.
-
Getting To Work Costs Women More | The Reason Why
It is not just about women paying more than men. It is about women paying much more in cities than in villages.
