Former Congress MLA Mangat Rai Bansal today joined the Shiromani Akali Dal in the presence of party president and Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Bansal is termed as a firebrand Hindu leader in the Mansa district. Having been elected as Congress MLA in 2007 elections from Budhlada in Mansa, Bansal as congress candidate had lost to SAD’ Janmeja Singh Sekhon in 2012 elections from Maur assembly segment. Though Bansal had lost the election, he had got more votes than Peoples’ party of Punjab chief Manpreet Badal from the assembly segment, which falls under Bathinda parliamentary constituency, represented by Sukhbir Badal’ wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
Bansal’ name was doing the rounds among leaders, who could join SAD before the Punjab assembly election in February but congress had saved the exodus by providing him ticket from Maur instead of Mansa, which Bansal wanted. Bansal had contested the 2004 parliamentary election from Sangrur constituency on BSP ticket but had retired from the contest only a couple of days before the Election Day.
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