Ravneet Singh Bittu, formerly a Congress MP from Ludhiana, joined BJP this Tuesday in a major shock move to Congress. Bittu had won the Ludhiana Constituency twice and once from Sri Anandpur Sahib. Considering the fact that BJP will be contesting the Punjab Lok Sabha seats solo, this provides the saffron party with a strong contender for the Ludhiana Lok Sabha. But why did Bittu decide to shift allegiances right before the elections? Here is what we know:
Frustration with Congress
According to sources, this decision follows Ravneet Bittu’s frustration with the differing principles of Congress. Bittu, being the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, favors strong Pro-Nationalist views. He has been campaigning against separatist sentiments and opposing the Khalistani stance.
Sources say that Congress had been deviating from nationalist principles which led to increasing tensions between Bittu and the party. Congress had also been flaunting the legendary legacy of Beant Singh with Ravneet Bittu as one of their star players, due to which they cannot oppose Bittu’s decision with hostility.
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Sources also inform that Congress was planning to give Ravneet Bittu the ticket to contest from Sri Anandpur Sahib Constituency, with that constiuency's sitting MP Manish Tiwari contesting from Ludhiana. However Bittu had been against this idea and wanted to contest from Ludhiana.
With BJP contesting the Lok Sabha elections solo, they will be looking for prolific candidates with a profound impact in major constituencies. Ravneet Bittu had scored the Lok Sabha Seat from Ludhiana twice. He had also secured the seat in Sri Anandpur Sahib in 2009, which solidifies his stature in Punjab Politics and his standing among the voters.
Who is Ravneet Bittu?
Ravneet Bittu had previously served as the leader of Congress in Lok Sabha from March to July 2021. Bittu was elected to the Lok Sabha from Ludhiana in 2014 and 2019 Assembly elections and from Anandpur Sahib in 2009.
Ravneet Bittu is the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. Beant Singh was a close aide of Rahul Gandhi, and played a major role in ending Terrorism in Punjab Beant Singh was assassinated in a suicide bomb blast at the secretariat complex in Chandigarh on 31 August 1995.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, Bittu defeated Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Harvinder Singh Phoolka by 19,709 votes. In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Bittu defeated Simarjeet Singh Bains with a margin of 76,372 votes. A Shiromani Akali Dal candidate stood third in both the contests.
Bittu was most recently arrested after he allegedly locked the main offices of the Ludhiana Municipal corporation. He had done so in protest against the “inefficiency of ruling AAP government” and “widespread corruption in Ludhiana’s civic body.” Today, he took membership of BJP in presence of Vinod Tawde and Vishal Singh.