Gurpreet Singh Sekhon, a former gangster and the main suspect in the Nabha jailbreak case, has officially joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) just months before the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann welcomed Sekhon at a special event in Zira, located in the Ferozepur district.
The Zira Assembly seat has traditionally been a stronghold of the Akali Dal. But the party’s grip on this seat had weakened after the death of Akali leader and former MLA Hari Singh Zira. Congress leader Kulbir Singh Zira won the seat in 2017 while the AAP’s Katariya won it in 2022.
“Impressed by the pro-people policies of AAP, Gurpreet Singh Sekhon and his supporters have joined the AAP,” the party’s Punjab unit said in an online post, sharing photos of the two leaders from the event.
He was named as the main accused in the jailbreak case but was released following orders from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Both won from Bajidpur and Ferozeshah, backed by the Shiromani Akali Dal. Political analysts believe that the AAP might field Sekhon as its candidate from the Zira assembly constituency. Read: How Conversions, Casteism Pushed Dalit Voters To A Crossroads In Punjab His entry has also sparked talks and disappointment within the camp of Naresh Katariya, sitting MLA from Zira. Originally from the nearby area of Makhu, Katariya wields considerable influence in this constituency, and if the AAP fields Sekhon from here, the political dynamics could shift dramatically. As time went by, he started getting involved in local body politics. A few months ago, he fielded two of his relatives as independent candidates in the Zila Parishad and Block Samiti elections in Punjab.
Analysis: Why Radical Elements Could Play Spoiler In 2027 Punjab Elections Sekhon was arrested before the local elections too due to political rivalry, an action that he had alleged was taken at the behest of Rajnish Kumar Dahiya, the MLA from Ferozepur Rural. Sekhon had notably opened his office here just 10 days ago and is expected to launch his campaign soon. Sekhon first grabbed headlines in November 2016 when he escaped after the Nabha jailbreak in Punjab. Three months later in 2017, he was arrested in Moga.
