Amarinder Singh meets Amit Shah ahead of the Punjab elections, seat-sharing talks anticipated

Captain Amarinder Singh, the former Punjab chief minister, arrived to Union home minister Amit Shah's residence in New Delhi on Monday for a crucial meeting ahead of the impending assembly elections in Punjab.

The ex-chief minister of Punjab is also expected to meet Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda later in the day, according to officials familiar with the matter cited by the PTI news agency, amid speculation over a possible seat-sharing arrangement between Singh's Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) and the BJP.

Amarinder Singh, who created the Punjab Lok Congress after splitting from the Congress and resigning as chief minister, has stated that he intends to run for all 117 seats in the 2022 Punjab assembly elections.

He did, however, disclose two weeks ago that the decision to join an alliance with the BJP and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa's Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) was reached in principle and those seat adjustments will be announced soon.

Captain Amarinder Singh's meeting with Amit Shah is expected to advance discussions on a possible seat-sharing arrangement, according to political speculation. They might also look into a broader understanding of other topics.

According to sources familiar with the situation, elections to the 117-member Punjab legislature will take place early next year, in February or March. The current legislature, which was elected in 2017, will be dissolved on March 27, 2022, unless it is dissolved sooner.

The Congress achieved an absolute majority in the 2017 Punjab assembly election, securing 77 seats and ousting the SAD-BJP government after ten years in power.

In the 117-member Punjab legislative assembly, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerged as the second-largest party, earning 20 seats.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) managed to win only 15 seats while the BJP secured itself 3 seats.