Eighty-six-year-old veteran Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) leader Raj Mohinder Singh Majitha, who served a second term as a Rajya Sabha member from 2004 to 2010, joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) along with his close supporters in Chandigarh on Monday. He had remained politically inactive for a long time.
Though no specific reason was cited for leaving the Akali Dal, it is being widely perceived that his family had been feeling neglected within the party for several years.
His move to the AAP is expected to create a ripple effect among voters in the Majitha constituency ahead of the Assembly elections. The development has also given the AAP a political boost, triggering discussions in political circles in the run-up to the polls.
Apart from being a senior Akali leader, Raj Mohinder Singh Majitha is the patron of the century-old Sikh organisation Chief Khalsa Diwan and the Chancellor of the Khalsa College Governing Council.
However, his political activities have remained limited over the past several years due to his advanced age. In addition, he has been residing in the city, away from the Majitha Assembly constituency.
