Ex-MLA and former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Pawan Kumar Tinu sent shockwaves in the political scene after he joined Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Pawan Kumar Tinu was a 2-time MLA from the Adampur Constituency and was a prominent name in Doaba region. This move is being considered a master stroke by AAP following the shift of Sushil Rinku leaving the party to join BJP. Rumours also suggest that he is likely to be announced as the Jalandhar Lok Sabha (LS) candidate tomorrow by the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. However, why did Tinu leave BJP to join AAP and Why is this such a master stroke for AAP? Here are the likely reasons:
Pawan Kumar Tinu holds a strong influence within the Dalit community of Punjab. In the Doaba region, the Dalits constitute about 30-35% of the voter base. Not only this, the Lok Sabha constituencies of Doaba region, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur, are both reserved seats.
Formerly, AAP had a strong and prominent Dalit face in the form of Sushil Rinku. AAP’s decision to contest Rinku in the Jalandhar by-elections paid dividends as he secured the victory. But following his departure, AAP faced a dilemma, as they needed another strong Dalit presence to contest the Jalandhar seat.
As well as being a strong Dalit leader, Tinu also holds strong influence among the Dera Ravidass community, which make up a significant portion of Jalandhar voter population. Keeping this in mind, Congress is likely to field Charanjit Channi for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat, as he is also a strong Dalit face, and also holds sway within the Dera Ravidass Community. Channi is likely to put up strong opposition as he was the reason why Congress held a respectable position in Punjab in the previous elections as per political experts.
Why did Pawan Kumar Tinu leave SAD?
Pawan Kumar Tinu was not in agreement with the SAD high command as per sources. Sources informed that his views were being ignored by the party high-command. Sources say that he wanted to contest the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat in the by-polls but was overlooked, and the ticket was given to Banga constituency MLA Dr. Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi. Hence, frustrated with the party’s decisions, he decided to leave the party as per our sources.
Also, since SAD is fighting a solo contest, Tinu was not hopeful of any results even if fielded by the party.
SAD had lost ground completely in the four urban segments of Jalandhar in the last two years. All its councillors had already left the party to join the AAP or BJP. Along with Tinu, Gurcharan Singh Channi, who was formerly the party's strategist, Chairman of the District Planning Committee and District President (urban), also joined AAP. Channi had quit SAD in 2016 but had rejoined recently. However, he did not get the space he had been expecting again.
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann had recently announced on X that the rest of the AAP candidates will be announced on April 16. In the first list, AAP had announced Sushil Rinku as their contestant for the Jalandhar Constituency, however his shift to BJP left AAP scratching their heads as to who would replace him for the Lok Sabha elections. Now the CM is expected to announce Tinu as their candidate for teh Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat.