Ludhiana: Karwal calls Congress his home once again
Local politician Kamaljit Singh Karwal returned to the Congress party for the second time, after hopping between six different political platforms in the last 16 years. His latest homecoming was made official on Sunday in the presence of former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and senior Congress leaders including Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Rana Gurjeet Singh.
Karwal, who last held affiliation with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), declared his return to Congress as an emotional 'ghar wapsi' (homecoming), saying the Congress is where he truly belongs. He claimed his decision was fuelled by frustration with AAP's alleged 'anti-people policies' and disregard for Punjabi interests.
His political journey, however, paints a picture of a restless career marked by frequent realignments. Karwal's six-party trajectory includes stints with Lok Insaaf Party (LIP), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), AAP, and now again Congress.
He was elected a councillor in 2007 as an independent and in 2012 on the SAD ticket. Initially a close aide of SAD rebel Simarjeet Singh Bains. Karwal and Bains left SAD and formed LIP, but he parted ways and rejoined SAD in 2015, only to switch to Congress in 2016 before the 2017 Assembly polls.
Karwal contested twice from Atam Nagar as a Congress candidate—both times unsuccessfully. In 2017, he lost to Bains, and in 2022, both Bains and Karwal lost to AAP's Kulwant Singh Sidhu.
In December 2023, ahead of the 2024 general elections, Karwal exited Congress, citing internal mismanagement and leadership issues, and joined BJP. Within a year, he left BJP for AAP, welcomed by state AAP president Aman Arora. His latest return to Congress makes it his sixth political shift.
Divided welcome exposes factions
Interestingly, Karwal's old rival former MLAs Simarjeet Singh Bains and his brother Balwinder Singh Bains had also joined Congress, merging their LIP into the party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. However, the Bains brothers were conspicuously absent at Karwal's re-induction event, as was Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, who had welcomed Bains brothers into the party fold last year.
This absence signals lingering tensions beneath the surface, though Karwal tried to downplay them. 'Congress is like a family to me. Fights happen in every family. I'm ready to work with everyone for the growth of the party,' he said, when asked about working alongside the Bains brothers.
He also remarked that BJP has 'no future in Punjab' and despite aggressive campaigning, 'can never form a government in the state'. He admitted he made a mistake joining the saffron party and quickly corrected the course.
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