Chandigarh, Sept. 15 -- Major Bhupinder Singh Dhillon (retd), cousin of former Punjab chief minister and Akali patriarch late Parkash Singh Badal, joined the BJP in the presence of Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini here on Monday.

Dhillon served as Badal's political secretary for 25 years. When Badal represented the Lambi assembly segment, Dhillon held greater influence in that area.

His father, late Gurraj Singh Dhillon, served as a Rajya Sabha Member from 1952 to 1958, representing the Shiromani Akali Dal, and played an important role in Badal's early political journey. Gurraj was the younger brother of Badal's father.

Dhillon served in the army, fought in the 1971 India-Pakistan War, and continued his military service until 1988.

He has...