Former MLA Ghuriana returns to Akali Dal

Bathinda: After spending two years in the Congress without getting any position, three-time MLA Gurtej Singh Ghuriana has returned to his old party, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Ghuriana used the occasion of Holi to re-join SAD in the presence of party president Sukhbir Badal at his residence in Badal village on Thursday.

Ghuriana was angry over denial of the SAD ticket for the 2017 state assembly elections despite being the party’s sitting MLA from Balluana assembly constituency in Fazilka district. He had demanded ticket from Balluana or Malout assembly segment, but did not get either. He had then left the Akali Dal just before the assembly elections to join the Congress on January 6, 2017.

While joining SAD on Thursday, Ghuriana said, “Sometimes misunderstandings crop up and that happened with me too. I made mistake of joining the Congress, which I have corrected now by re-joining my parent party.”

Ghuriana’s stronghold Balluana is part of Ferozepur parliamentary constituency and speculations are rife that anyone from Badal family could contest from here. Sukhbir said that the party would benefit immensely by Ghuriana re-joining the Akali Dal.

Ghuriana, 67, had won from Balluana assembly constituency on SAD ticket in 1997, 2007 and 2012. He had lost to Parkash Singh Bhatti in 2002 in between. Bhatti was in the Congress at that time but later had joined SAD and got the party ticket in the 2017 elections from Balluana in place of Ghuriana.