Taranjit Singh Sandhu joins BJP after US envoy role

Former Indian Ambassador to the United States, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, joined the BJP on Tuesday. There are possibilities of his contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar in Punjab. He joined the party in the presence of its general secretaries, Vinod Tawde and Tarun Chugh.

He thanked party president J. P. Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their political careers. He stated that this progress should, moreover, reach his birthplace, Amritsar. Later, while speaking after joining the BJP, Sandhu highlighted the expansion of the US-India connection. Furthermore, he emphasized that the party has prioritized development in several key areas, including the semiconductor sector.

“Delighted to interact with people at #RanjitAvenue in #Amritsar. Thank you, Pappu Mahajan, for hosting,” he said in a post on the social media platform X. On Monday, Sandhu travelled to Amritsar, where he spoke with local authorities about the need for advancements in agriculture and infrastructure.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is pursuing a third consecutive term in power as the world’s largest election, the Lok Sabha polls, begins in seven phases on April 19. Voter tallying will commence on June 4. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar declared on Saturday that over 97 crore voters—49.7 crore men and 47.1 crore women—are eligible to cast ballots. Consequently, these voters will vote at 10.5 lakh polling places to elect the 543-member Lok Sabha.

While internal strife still plagues the opposition INDIA alliance, 73-year-old Modi is actively working to solidify his electoral dominance and match the record set by the nation’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, by winning his third straight election.