In a setback to the Shiromani Akali Dal, former party MLA Pawan Kumar Tinu on Sunday joined the AAP here.

Tinu is likely to be the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat, said party sources.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann welcomed Tinu into the party fold.

Tinu, a Dalit leader, was elected MLA from the Adampur assembly constituency in Jalandhar district in 2012 and 2017. He lost the 2022 assembly polls to Congress nominee Sukhwinder Kotli.

He had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

The Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat is currently represented by Sushil Rinku, who won it on an AAP ticket in the 2023 bypoll.

Rinku was named the AAP candidate from Jalandhar seat for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls but he quit the party and joined the BJP.

The BJP has fielded Rinku from the Jalandhar reserve constituency.

Polling for the 13 Lok Sabha seats will be held on June 1.

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