Ludhiana, June 29 -- Former two-time Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA Darshan Singh Shivalik joined Akali Dal Waris Punjab De in Ludhiana on Sunday, days after Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali switched to the party.

Shivalik, a prominent Akali leader from Ludhiana district, was elected from Dakha in 2007 and Gill in 2012 on SAD tickets. He, however, lost the subsequent Assembly elections from Gill to the Congress in 2017 and the Aam Aadmi Party in 2022.

After differences surfaced within the SAD, Shivalik aligned himself with Ayali and joined the breakaway Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit), floated by anti-Badal leaders. Ayali recently left the faction and joined Akali Dal Waris Punjab De, the political outfit associated with jailed Khadoor ...