Can be AAP candidate for Jalandhar Loksabha
Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh, April 14-
Pawan Kumar Tinu, the senior and biggest Dalit leader of Shiromani Akali Dal from Jalandhar, Punjab and former MLA from Adampur has joined the Aam Aadmi Party.
Tinu joined AAP after talking to CM Mann and several senior leaders at the residence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in Chandigarh.
On this occasion, many of his supporters also left SAD and joined AAP. Now he is also being made a candidate from Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat, the announcement of which will be made in the coming day or two. Tinu is the biggest Dalit leader of Akali Dal and has a strong hold on the Dalit votes of Jalandhar.
Pawan Kumar Tinu was elected member of Punjab Assembly for the first time in 2012 and was with SAD since the beginning. After that he contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, but he lost. Then he contested the assembly elections for the second time in 2017 and became MLA. But in the last election he lost to Surinder Singh Kotale of Congress.
Pawan Tinu is a big leader among the Dalit leaders of SAD.While in the Assembly, Tinu not only strongly advocated Dalit issues but also tried to get them resolved by the government.
Due to his good grip on Dalit issues, he can be considered a good candidate for AAP from Jalandhar.
But Tinu's joining AAP could cause huge loss to SAD. Akali Dal may have to suffer the consequences of his leaving the party.